


The Meaning of Family: Kinship

by RiverHalcyon



Category: Law & Order: SVU, Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 14:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14935742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverHalcyon/pseuds/RiverHalcyon
Summary: You can't decide the ones who are apart of creating you but even from darkness something beautiful can be formed. Family, tied by blood, strengthen by choice, unbound by the sins of the past.





	1. Chapter 1

The Meaning of Family: Kinship 

Prologue: Phone call of Hope

This is a Lie to Me/ Law and Order SVU crossover. It picks up in the middle of season two of Lie to Me and will follow the rest of the show and then beyond. For SVU it picks up in season eight when Olivia finds she has a brother but is au from that point. Instead of illegally running her DNA she speaks with Melinda about her thoughts who directs her to a research group. In this story the facts in the show about her brother and father are ignored as if it didn't happen.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or Law and Order SVU and not making any profit besides elevating my own boredom. 

 

(The analysis lab is empty except for a lone individual musing as he leans back in a computer chair, legs kicked up casually. The room illumination soly coming from the monitors that surround him. There is no sound except for the rhythmic humming of computers running preset tasks in the background.)

A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive is a lie as defined by the dictionary. A simple meaning in theory but found to have many complex layers in reality. For a lie can be anything used to create a false or misleading impression. It might be done with the best of intentions but those intentions are relative to all involved. Even if that was not so could good intentions ever really condone that the end is supposed to justify the means? No that is only a tragic lie that people tell themselves in order to ease their seared conscience. For lies have consequences that are rarely anticipated and cost more than imagined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“You touched your ear.”  
“Does that mean I'm lying?” she asked looking relieved and guilty at the same time.   
“Are you? “ Eli asked disappointment radiating through his chest as his eyes took in every detail possible, “What part of your story isn't true?... Is any of it true?”  
Mugisha poorly deflected, “Who would make up such a terrible story?”  
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷  
“But it's a lie it never happened to you, “ Eli stated.   
“It happen, it's happening, but nobody listened until there was a face. My face. My story.”  
“Every lie has consequences that you can't see coming,” Eli tried to make her see.   
“Someone needed to speak. I was educated in the west. When I talk people like you hear me. My country is being torn apart by violence and shame and I would do anything to stop the killing.”  
“What are you going to do Eli?” She asked him but they both knew there was only one choice. It was why they were there, what she was silently begging of him. Who was he to not to comply. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Truth, on the other hand, is absolute. It is genuine and based on facts and reality. It often can be quantified and analyzed. Even though at times it might not be pretty and might seem to cause more pain than it’s worth, it is an unshakable constant in a constantly changing world. Truth also has consequences but these consequences are ones that could be faced with the clear conscience of knowing that what you did was the right thing even though the outcome might not be preferred.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“I'm sorry. She could have written a different book. She didn't have to say those things happened to her.”  
“No, she's right. Nobody would have paid attention. And the funny thing is she went out with me even after she found out what I do for a living. Somehow I think on some level she wanted to get caught,” Eli threw out there unconsciously testing her.   
“Or maybe she just liked you,” Torres tried to sooth.   
Tilting his head down before looking straight up at Ria he barely breathed out, “Well I really don’t care, “ before standing and walking passed her.   
“Hey Loker,” Torres called out to him, “You just lied.”  
Eli looked back at her and made no attempted to mask anything he was feeling, “Yeah. “  
He turned back and continued to walk away. Ria may have caught the lies…. And the truth but she completely missed the point. A debatable point if it was a small mercy that Eli was too heartbroken to notice. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Radical honesty - a philosophy that he has lived by since his teens - came from such thoughts while observing the experiences of his childhood. A rebellion of sort as he began to recognized the lies of the surrounded and controlled his life. Although, even at 26 Eli could only bring himself to take a clinical look at himself in order to avoid the emotion. A sign that, for all his honesty, he still couldn't help but lie to himself, whether directly or by omission. Still, years of observing the carnage left by lies was a great part of why he clinged so eagerly to the idea of always telling the truth no matter how rude or unpopular it made him. Any other reason he ignored as projections of his unresolved and neglected issues. For if anyone ever asked the questions that he could not even ask himself then he would have to honestly answer. A pointless exercise though since those questions would never come, not even spending nine years with the world's leading deception experts had brought them to light.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Maybe he’s taking the blame for everything to hide whatever part his daughter had in the scheme, “ Foster jumped in seeing where he was going.   
“I just figured if his daughter was guilty a man like Hollin wouldn't hesitate to eat his young,” Eli added confused.   
“Look at a man like he is the devil and you will never understand his motives, “ Foster rebuked him deeper then she knew.   
Shaking the image of his out of his head, “Well everyone knows he's a liar. “  
“Then we listen to him lie. “

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(the sudden silence of the computer was as noticeable as a boom.)   
Breaking the spell of his inner musings, Eli became aware that the rhythmic sound of the computer had stopped. Now ready for him to start checking over its findings before loading the next set of video data for the computer to search through.   
After stretching his legs out onto a different desk he tried to redirect his thoughts away from his inner speculation. Without luck as his eyes kept being drawn back to what had him on this track in the first place: an old letter written by his mother before her death. It held the only details available for him to determine who his father truly was. Was it the man he had until five years ago always thought it was? The man who lied and cheated every person he came across, who had more women than he could count but always came home to his mother because she bore him a son? Or was it the man who brutally raped his mother on her way home from the library but who was never caught? He was now free to find out if he so chose. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Mr. Hollins,”   
“Imagine your sister or husband made a mistake. And you knew you could a small sacrifice to protect them,” Hollins interrupted.   
“You know the worst lies we tell are out of love. But I'd want my family to learn from their mistakes,” Foster supplied. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Five years ago his mother had lost the battle with breast cancer but not before revealing her doubts on his paternal DNA. She begged him not to let his father know or to try to find the truth out while he was still alive. Out of fear for Eli life for she didn't know how badly James might react to the secret she kept from him all these years. So Eli kept her secret since it was one of her last requests and it wasn't really that hard considering he never spoke much with his father. It could be called a philosophical difference on life since Eli desperately hung unto truth while to James truth was a fool's last resort. Though the reality was James Loker didn't appreciate being called a thieving sociopath and Eli preferred not being hospitalized. Overall they both agreed it was better to avoid each other. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Your going to let him go to prison for his daughter, “ Eli challenge in disgust.   
“We're going to get these people there pensions back. There livelihoods that's what matters,” Foster firmly stated trying to direct the matter to what she say as the point.   
“What's that say to all the Bernie Madoffs and all the Carolyn Hollins waiting in the wing?” Eli tried, being the most open with her then he had ever been before.   
“You think the victims should just lose everything?” Foster said too focused on what she wanted to accomplish to see the rare vulnerability being displayed.   
“You have to put these people away or they will keep coming back like a cancer. You cannot let them think they can do this and not get punished,” Eli knew this to be certain, had seen what happened otherwise. The victims to come would have no restitution or means of justice and there would be many.   
“When your the boss, make whatever call you want. “

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After his mother's death five years ago, dealing with the violent side of his supposed father wasn't actually the biggest concern for him. No, Eli's biggest fear at time was what he would say to Lightman when he returned to work. Eli was so sure that his mother's revelation would be written all over his face and if Lightman questioned him, he would answer honestly and the game he and Lightman had been playing the previous four years of ignoring Eli's upbringing and pretending he was just another rich preppy with Ivy league dreams would end and Lightman would learn just how truly broken he was inside. It was a moot point though because like most fears it never came to fruition and the question never came. It was a blessing mixed with a curse though because while he was mostly relieved at leaving things statuesque what did that say that not even a great psychoanalysis like Doctor Gillian Foster cared to look deeper and try to fix the brokenness?   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“But you on the other hand. What you did is inexcusable. And involving her is selfish, disrespectful, and it's just plain stupid, ” Each of Lightman word was true, fully expected and deserved but still cut like a knife. 

“I’ll empty my office, “ Eli turned and started walking to do just that. 

“No, you can stay, “ Lightman called out stopping him, “You can stay, but from now on, you'll be paid what you're worth, which is nothing. You're an unpaid intern” 

“It's that or you can leave.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Years passed and what started out as a game with Lightman might as well be his identity, even though he knows what kind of impostor lies behind his grad-student exterior. An imposter but one that was now free to investigate the darkest truth that was inside him because as of yesterday his father was dead. He got a call from Chicago police telling him his father had died of a heart-attack while in custody. After verifying that his DNA was in the system he confirmed that they could do whatever they wanted with the body as long as they left him out of it. His promise to his mother was now fulfilled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Well that is one sick puppy but that's not our guy,” Eli told her.   
“And how can you know that?” Reynolds demanded again and Eli was starting to feel very disrespected and annoyed.   
“I can know that because he is fantasizing about past actions,” Eli answered with a tap of his pencil to the papers before directing his attention to Tia, “You want to look for someone who is making plans for the future.”  
“Let me see that,” Ria pouted as she took the papers back and looked at them.   
“How is it I'm the unpaid intern and you're the highly paid professional, “ Eli snipped misplacing his frustration of having to deal with Reynolds towards her.   
“You're the one Lightman got sitting in the front row. So… I’ll just put this in the ‘no’ pile, “ Ria shot back annoyed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He knew there might be something wrong with him in how he was handling the news; he felt more relieved than sad which didn't seem right to him. James... he couldn't handle thinking of him as his father at the moment. He might not have been a good man - far from it in fact - but he did always make it a point to be in Eli's life. Even if it was only to teach him how to pickpocket or yell at him during his little league game for throwing like a girl. Some children didn't even have that, arguments of absence versus abuse notwithstanding. It was so confusing especially when you add in the fact he might not even be his real dad. It might be a rapist instead. Either way he definitively drew the genetic short straw.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Lightman just hung up on me. He wouldn't even listen, “ Ria fumed.   
Eli couldn't contain the smirk caused by her response to Lightman.   
“But I'm right,” Ria said menacing before storming off. 

“Hey, whatever you're thinking about doing, don't,” Eli tried half-hearted, knowing how to spot a lost cause. 

“I'm going to need your help! “ Ria called back to him. 

“Yeah kinda figured that. “  
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

“So Camille is not dead?” Torres stated more than asked.   
“We don't know yet,” Reynolds supplied.   
“Lightman knew from the beginning it was all a setup. He planned the whole thing, all of it. Even letting Jenkins see through him at the prison,” Ria stated in awe.   
“Yeah, he set up a false power dynamic- build Jenkins confidence, lower his defenses,” Eli explained to her clearly seeing now what he had sensed.   
“Lightman played me too. He pushed me to disobey him ‘cause he knew it would trigger Jenkins,” Torres stated not liking the fact.   
“The long con. One of Lightman favorite moves, “ Foster said making her presence known.   
“You knew?” Torres asked suspicious.   
“No idea, “ Foster told them.   
“He is scary good,” Torres said breaking the momentary silence that fallen over the fact.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Eli was still contemplating looking over what little clues he had one more time when there was a knock on the door before opening to reveal the Lightman group's receptionist, Anna.

"Hey Eli a carrier just delivered this for you. A New York police file?" Anna said as she handed the package over to him with a curious smile.

Noticing her look Eli took the package from her and turned away under the guise of putting it on his desk, "Yeah a dead cold case that has passed the statute of limitations. They were nice enough to send me a copy of one for some research I'm starting."

"Oh, I see. Good luck with that," Anna told him as she backed out of the office and left him alone once again. Eli let out a breath of relief, thankful she left before he had to make the choice to be honest about it or lie since he was using company resources for personal research. He was surprised how fast it arrived since he only made the request yesterday afternoon but the Lightman Group letterhead had a way of opening doors sometimes.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Um Mr. Loker. You have been very quiet. Do you have anything to add?” The Irs agent asked annoyed.   
“No what Foster said was accurate, “ Eli said as earnest as possible.   
“You tell Lightman he is going to have an auditor with a microscope up his British Keister for as long as I have a job,” She declared before storming out of the office.   
“Why did you do that?” Foster asked genuinely confused.   
“Well, you gotta have faith in something. I'm putting mine in you,” Eli told her.   
“Thank you. “  
“Doesn't mean what you did was right. “

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^

He still hadn't opened the package yet and was in the middle of adding more video data to be sorted when Lightman came barging in without knocking to let Eli know that Lightman, Foster, and Torres would be leaving to work on a case.

"You know I could come too. I could be helpful with..." Eli tried before being cut off. 

"Your job is to stay here and finish that," Lightman told him gesturing to the computer in a way that made Eli wonder if Lightman, despite assigning it himself just that morning, had a clue what Eli was working on.

"Never mind the fact I have four years of research on herd mentality and Torres has none. A trained monkey could do this! Besides I have seniority and this case could help prove..." Eli tried half-heartedly to interject before being cut off again.

"Who needs a trained monkey when I have you, eh? I want this all sorted and the analysis well into the first phase by the time I get back. Am I clear?" 

"Yeah sure you betcha. Monkey see monkey do," Eli told him sarcastically before turning to put his focus back on the computer screen. 

Instead of leaving Lightman pause and give Eli his trademark 'what are you' looks and for a moment Eli internally panicked before Lightman gave a disgusted grunt and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“So what really happened between you and Rader, “ Eli overheard as Lightman and Foster came down the hallway.   
“I'd tell you but you would think I was lying,” Lightman quid and turned away and headed towards Eli.   
“Loker, my card in case you're thinking of a life change. “

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eli made himself wait a few minutes before making sure the computer was set up for the next hour of tasks. He reached for the package and held it to just feel the weight before he opened it and pulled out an old blue file folder and a cassette tape. It looked like the original so he figured someone must have been eager to be rid of it. Picking up the tape, he walked over to set up the equipment that would convert it to a digital format. As he waited he sat back down and opened the file to find a picture of his mother. She was much younger, actually younger than he was now and covered in bruises. It made his heart lurch and a knot form in his stomach. He moved the picture to the side and started to skim the report inside. It didn't take long to see that there wasn't much in the file. The detective in charge obviously didn't take his mother seriously enough to actually do his job and catch the guy. It made him angry to think of the disrespect.

He continued to read what was there a few times until the conversion was done and after double checking on his actual job he put his headphones on to listen and brought up the voice analyzer to watch as it played.

okay sweetheart just talk clearly into the mic and we can get this over with. Please state your name.

Clearly impatient and possibly bored. Sounded like a real winner. 

Elisa Engel. Is my fiancee going to hear this?

Fear. She was scared of James even back then. No he shouldn't assume that considering she was still shaken by the attack.

No, this is for investigation purposes only.

Partial truth maybe? The guy wasn't completely sure about what he said.

Tell us what happened tonight.

I was on my way home like normal from the NYU library.

Why?

I work there part time as a clerk.

You left alone?

Yes... I mean no... my friend Claire left with me. We usually leave together when she is there studying. Her dorm is on the way to the station. 

Correcting herself as she tries to recall details: check . Adding unnecessary details: check. The distress in her voice sounded genuine.

You parted at the dorm?

Yes, we made plans to meet up Saturday and I went on my way.

Down the allies?

Yes, it's the only way to reach the subway without having to go back towards the front of the school.

There was no obvious signs of deception but he couldn't help but wonder what this made him, analyzing his mother this way. He couldn't help it though as it was ingrained as a part of who he was. Besides, he reasoned, it distracted him from the sick feeling growing in his stomach and this was the only lead he was going to get.

Go on.

I turned the corner and was halfway down when I heard footsteps. I went to turn around but he was already behind me grabbing me...

The statement was about thirty minutes long and held many disturbing details that made him heartsick among other things. Unfortunately it did not hold much that he could use. Any evidence gathered has long since been destroyed or misplaced and he couldn't even return to the scene of the crime since that area had been built and rebuilt many times over the last 26 years. So there was no way to investigate in a conventional manner but he was already knew that would be the case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“You want to tell me how we went from a seven figure payday to nothing?” Lightman came in fuming.   
“It wasn't an ideal outcome… “ Eli started weakly.   
“No it wasn't we can barely keep our head above water and you decide to go ahead and sabotage a potential elephant account. I mean what did you put in. 40 full hours on this and then there is Torres time? You have any idea where that's coming from?” Lightman continued yelling.   
“Your pocket, “ Eli stated.   
“Bloody right, my pocket! You promised me you'd deliver,” Lightman continued to push.   
Fed up Eli voice started sounding more firm. “Shifting blame from the guilty party, that wouldn't have been the truth.”  
“You see that choice…” Lightman said satisfied, “That's how you make your contribution to this firm. We could go dark for all I care. We follow the truth here. No matter the cost to our egos or our wallets. “  
“So if I had taken the money…. “ Eli questioned.   
“I'd have sacked you,” Lightman told him happily as he turned to walk away.   
“Hey can I get one of those “arttaboy” speeches from yesterday?” Eli called out after him  
“I've run out. “

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The knowledge that there would be a lack of conventional leads was one of the reasons he checked to see if James' DNA was in the system. The fact that it was could potentially kill two birds with one stone: prove whether James was his biological father and, if not, perhaps find the rapist. At this, a thought struck Eli that he hadn't considered before. With all of James' philandering ways Eli was his only known child. James had been sued over paternity countless times in vain which made him wonder if maybe James Loker was unknowingly sterile making it much more likely Eli's father was the rapist. Either way he was in luck that he had a friend whose primary area of research was kinship DNA and since his friends main funding came from law enforcement looking to make the science a crime fighting tool his friend had access to the data banks that could tell him who his father was if any such record existed. All he had to do was call and explain the situation and he would have access to the only tool that could solve a 27 year old cold case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Emily reenter the lab now that Foster and Torres had gone off and walked towards the screen that last shown her dad. Eli looked up from the desk he was working at and just watched her.   
“Please… Please say something Eli, “ Emily pleaded as she looked at the screen with her arms wrapped around herself.   
“What can I say? “ Eli asked in genuine curiosity as he was at a loss for words.   
“Anything…. Just tell me the truth like you always do. I don't care if it's something I might not want to hear just tell me something true…. He lied to me and so did Foster but you don't at least you haven't yet. So please promise me you will keep telling me the truth. Just like when we were younger. Especially when it comes to my dad, “ Emily pleaded before turning to face him.   
“Oh Em…. I… yeah okay I'll tell you what I can okay?” Eli assured her.   
“Promise?”  
“Promise”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Eli sat there staring out in space knowing he had to get back to work before Lightman came back and chewed him out but was unable to move on without making a decision. If he did this there would be no turning back. He would either get an answer or not, either way there would be no more hiding, including using radical honesty as an excuse to lie to himself. With a deep breath he reached out and picked up the phone. There was no lie worse than what you tell yourself and he was ready to call himself out on it. No more half-hearted hope that someone else would make him face the dark part of his soul. He wanted the truth.

 

~~~~~  
Four Months Later - New York Manhattan SVU

The air was energized and chaotic as the various detectives of the SVU went about their business. 

"Stabler! Benson! We got one for you at the uptown bridge," Captain Cragen said as stepped out of his office.

"Sorry, Captain. I can't go. The trial dates for the Jenkins case got bumped to today and I promised Madison I would be there for her when she testifies," Olivia Benson said with an apologetic look.

"Right, that's fine. Fin is in court today too so it looks like you're with Munch, Stabler," Cragen said before going into the details he knew about the case. Olivia only heard the beginning as her phone began to ring. By the time she was done Cragen was heading back to his office and she was sitting in contemplative silence.

"Hey Liv when you get back do you think you can look over...Liv? You okay?" Her partner Elliot Stabler put his hand on her shoulder bringing her attention to him.

"Oh I'm fine. That was Dr. Matterson," Olivia explained.

"The researcher, Melinda, suggested you give your DNA, too?" Elliot probed.

"Uh huh." 

"What did he want?" Elliot asked as he finished gathered his stuff to leave with Munch.

"I have a brother."


	2. Chapter 1: Indecision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes fear is the easiest way to see what truly matters. If you don't take the risk you can't change. If you don't change you can only stay the same.

The Meaning of Family: Kinship 

Chapter One: Indecision  
Episode: Lie to me Season 2 Ep 9 Fold Equity and 10 Tractor Man  
  
  
Two weeks later  
  
Eli methodically enter the last data tags to the video of his last date with Ingrid. Determined, if anything, that this life lesson would be research ready if anything came up in the that could make use to it. Once done he reset the video and just set back to watch. He tried to keep his mind clinical but his thoughts swiftly turned cynical and berating as he watched.  
  
Why was it after so many years of study he was still such a failure at reading people in day to day life? Even his love of the science and equipment failed him as soon as he had a personal attachment to the outcome. As soon as he started feeling comfortable in the application of his work reality as usual was there waiting in the wing to set him straight and remind him that he was in no way a natural.  
  
He had felt so certain at the time that they shared a connection. Then again he felt a connection with Mugisha and that had turned out equally as well. At the moment he was worried if the only connection he was truly able to feel was being lied too. Didn't say much about his future hope of ever being anything other then an unpaid intern  
  
“Medium triple latte, “ Ria said as she walked into the lab and handed Eli his drink.  
  
“Thanks,” Eli says as he takes a sip as he turns back to the computer missing Ria expression.  
  
“How long have you been watching that?” she asked guilt ridden.  
  
“Mmm, not long, “ Eli replied truthfully. It had only been about five minutes since he started just watching.  
  
“I lied,” Ria said earnestly seeing the range of emotions playing on his face, “She likes you. “  
  
Eli shook his head refusing her pity, “Nice try but saw the lip lick. The uh true rule of womanhood. “  
  
“Yeah uh Loker, there no such thing as a true rule of womanhood,” she admitted getting his full attention, “I made it up. You were doing that really super annoying smug guy thing I was pissed. And I wanted the ant farm. “  
  
“I'm smug?” Eli said doubt, “Well how do I know you're telling the truth now?”  
  
Ria reached over him to select a data section, “Not only is she laughing she is looking at you right in the eye.”  
  
“She's being polite, “ Eli said incredulous.  
  
“This isn't being polite, “ Ria said leaning into him so he would clearly see her eyes, “Her pupils were dilated.”  
  
Eli couldn't help stare directly into her eyes but couldn't get a clear read on her in the lighting though he was sure his pupils at the moment were probably doing the same.  
  
“Well she did…” he started to say as he leaned forward into her space and reached for her leg, “Touch my knee at one point.”  
  
Ria took a breath and quickly stepped back, “So you think I should call her and.. “  
  
“Definitely, “ she responded forcefully before leaving the room.  
  
Eli sat there for a few more minutes before turning back to the video and starting it from the beginning. This time he could see his original observations were indeed right but that didn't really easy his earlier misgivings because even if he had read Ingrid right Ria had been able to lead him completely astray which was not comforting.  
  
He turned and picked up his cell phone bringing up Ingrid’s number now he just had to decide what he wanted to say. 

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eli worked on clearing his mind and stopping the racing of his heart as he walked towards his apartment. The phone call he just ended did not go well but he would be lying if he said that was the reason why his heart felt like it wanted to escape his chest. No, the fluttering started after his strange yet hot encounter with Ria earlier that day. The entire day had been weird with Ria trying to crush his 'smugness' and if that meant destroying his ego and any self-confidence he was building she succeeded. Unsurprising really considering she seemed to be picking up on those tricks from Lightman. 

Weird but not entirely remarkable, the day had been until she ‘confessed’ and leaned in with 'those eyes'. Then using the same guise he couldn't help but reach out and touch her leg. Like a rehearsal for the real thing even though he knew he didn't have a chance no matter how badly he wanted one.

Of course she broke the moment as easily as she had created it by telling him he should call his girlfriend. Which he had just done to end their relationship despite knowing nothing would come of what had transpired between Ria and him. For that moment had made it crystal clear that though he liked Ingrid, he liked Ria much more. Enough to overlook her lying to him anyways which was a big deal to him. Knowing that continuing to date just didn't seem fair. Eli Loker was a man who valued truth and loyalty in himself above all else despite the rumors that he was just a closet masochist.

This inconvenient truth meant that even if he couldn't have Ria, trying for someone else seemed dishonest and, well, everyone knew how he had a problem with half-truths. It just wasn't fair. If he didn't think - no, knew - Ria was a good girl at heart he would've almost think she planned this, although he doubted she could be that cruel.

Now the phone call... it didn't matter that he ended the relationship before the third date and he knew it was best for the both of them, she was still rightfully mad. Eli really hadn't wanted to hurt her because she was a good girl who might have actually liked him despite his habit of going off in topics like herd mentality. The thought made him pause and question his decision once again but the answer was the same, Ria. 

Overall he was feeling the most pain over the decision to breakup in his wallet. The fact that he outlandishly splurged on a girl he ended up dumping when he had been penny pinching and working a second job to supplement his depleting savings for months made it hard to just enjoy the memory. Who knew how long Lightman was going to go on not paying him.

No. More reason to focus on the good of the experience instead of the regret because knowing Lightman, Eli might just have his loyalty rewarded by Lightman not even batting an eye at Eli quitting because he no longer had a choice to ‘volunteer’ his time. Eli shook his head to dislodge the thought while praying that is wasn't a prophecy.

Eli’s phone started to vibrate as he was putting his key in his door. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he was surprised to see who it was at such a late hour. It was almost midnight.

"Hello?" Eli answered.

"Eli, I hope I didn't wake you. Truthfully I didn't realize it had gotten so late! Guess I got distracted. I can call you back tomorrow." Doctor George Matterson quickly sputtered. 

"Oh no actually I just got home. Do you have some news?" Eli asked as he locked his front door and walked to his bedroom in order not to wake his roommate.

"Well actually I do about the kinship analysis," George explained, "As I told you before we were able to confirm James Loker is not your biological father. In order to proceed with your other request I placed your DNA in a blind experiment that went through several DNA data banks. The criminal one of course but also several governmental and volunteers. I wasn't really expecting anything to pop since as you know there is just a small percentage of the population in any database but I got a hit. Well actually I got a hit two weeks ago but due to complications I had to wait to tell you," George explained.

"What kind of complication? Who came up?" Eli asked unable to ignore a sense to dread building in his stomach.

Seeming to sense Eli's uneasiness George was quick to reassure, "Oh nothing bad. It was just you matched another volunteer who was recommended through a mutual colleague. This volunteer just requested her results remain private until she could review the findings."

"Her?" Eli questioned.

"Yes your sister, Eli. Well half-sister," George told him excitedly.

"I have a sister?" Eli half asked half stated feeling emotion starting to raise behind his eyes, "What is she like?"

"She is a good deal older than you, late 30's early 40's and still beautiful. Oh and she is a New York city cop. Hence the discretion. She didn't get back to me til today but she wants to meet with you." George told him.

"She wants to meet? Does she know..."Eli started.

"About the rapes? Yes, she knows she is a child of rape but doesn't know by who. Her mother's case like yours was unsolved," George told him.

"I...I...I really," Eli tried to speak but it was like his brain stopped functioning. 

"Look this is a lot to take in and it's late. Take some time and get back to me. If you are ready I'll arrange a meet for you guys. Okay?" George told him compassionately.

"Okay," Eli managed to get out, "and George... thanks."

"You're welcome and goodnight," George said before hanging up on his side.

Eli slowly lowered his phone to his lap and looked around his room blankly from where he sat on his bed. His mind was full of the implication of what finding his sister meant. Now his heart was racing for a completely different reason. Needless to say Eli didn't sleep that night.

~~~~~~~

Manhattan SVU

"Hey Munch do you still have the forensic report on the Carter case?" Detective Olivia Benson asked as she looked up from the report she was typing.

"Yeah but I need it back when you're done," Munch told her as he swiveled and pushed his chair to be able to hand it to her.

"You're still not done with that yet?" Her partner asked teasingly as he looked up from his own paperwork.

"So what if i'm taking my time. I can afford to since I'm actually caught up on my paperwork," Olivia pushed back as she eyed the stack of paperwork on his desk.

"Hey I always get it done... eventually," Elliot shot back defensively.

They both returned to their tasks and Olivia tried her best to focus on the task at hand but her mind kept sliding back to personal issues. This wasn't a problem on the field but paperwork just wasn't much of a distraction. It had been over two weeks since she had found out she had a brother and two days since she made the request to meet him but she had yet to hear from Doctor Matterson. She kept telling herself that maybe her brother just needed time to respond like she did but after waiting so long to have some sort of family that might understand her it was hard not to get her hopes up. The longer the wait the more time she had to think that maybe he wanted nothing to do with her. Though logic did say there was also the strong possibility that the doctor had yet to even approach him.

"Benson!" Cragen snapped as he walked quickly from his office into the squad room getting all four SVU detectives attention, "My office now!"

"You mind explaining to me why the FBI is up in arms over you checking out one of their outside consultants?" Cragen drawled out as Olivia got up to follow him into his office.

"Sir?' Olivia asked confused. The only checking she had done was on...

"Eli Loker? Member of the Lightman Group which is currently under contract by the FBI and has high level security clearance with the Pentagon. When you go poking around someone like that it sets off red flags and that earns me," Cragen said as he jabbed his thumbs into his chest, "a nasty phone call. So I would like an explanation." 

"Lightman group? As in Cal by all means swoon over my British accent as I mess with your head Lightman? He is working with the FBI? Well that sure is not going to be lasting long," Munch interjected stopping them from disappearing into Cragen's office.

"Friend of yours?" Fin asked indulging his partner without thinking, "What is the Lightman Group?"

"Cal Lightman is the self-proclaimed world's leading expert on deception. You know the whole micro-expression thing that's so hot with the Feds? He is the father of it. I had the chance to work with him several years ago when I was still in Baltimore. He was still working out of his house back then and didn't have as big of an ego problem that he has now a days, but even though I was completely skeptical of the guy I have to admit he knew his stuff. We got along great," Munch explained.

"Really, then he must be a conspiracy nut like you," Fin remarked with an impish smile.

"No just crazy with a good dose of distrust for the establishment," Munch told him before redirecting is attention at Olivia, "so what is your interest in his employees."

Olivia could feel all eyes on her, "Look I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble sir. I didn't realize he was connected to the feds like that. My interest is purely personal."

"Personal how?" Cragen asked and she knew that she could not expect him to let it go.

"Well you see sir, Eli Loker is my brother," Olivia said after everyone entered the privacy of Cragen's office.

"Brother?!" Olivia didn't see who said that but suspected it was more than one.

"Liv, a brother but..." Cragen started.

"Look...um... I had the chance to do a kinship analysis and Eli Loker came up as a match. We have...well we have the same father...by the same means. I did a background check on him because I wanted to know who I was dealing with before I met him," Olivia explained as she looked around to gauge the reactions.

"So I'll tell the feds that it was a part of a routine investigation and that it none of their business but don't do it again," Cragen warned before asking, "so who is he?"

"Sir?"

"I'm the one who's going to have to deal with these guys over this so I want to know who he is." 

"I didn't find out much, just the basics. He is 26, has no criminal record. Lives and work in Washington DC. Both parents are dead. He has a degree in individual studies from NYU, whatever that means," she gave the information as if running down a suspect.

"When are you meeting him?" her partner questioned.

"I don't know he hasn't responded yet," she told him.

"Well back to work," Cragen dismissed them from his office, "oh and Benson, Stabler I need those reports on my desk before you leave,"

Elliot give a little pained groan before shooting Olivia a look that she met with an innocent smile as she walked back to her desk.

 

~~~~~~  
Washington DC

Eli took a moment to look around and stretch his back before walking into the building and embracing the Lightman Group for the day. Truth be known this was one of those days he didn't want to get out of bed but that could simply be because he hadn't had a decent night sleep since he learned he had a sister three days ago. Ria, just as he knew she would, was back to normal, dashing any fool hearted hopes he might have been hiding but that still kept him up at night thinking about it among other things.

He still hadn't made a decision on whether or not to meet his sister. On one hand the decision was simple and obvious but on the other it was difficult and complicated. He wanted to meet her, to get to know her, and possibly have a family again but the logical part of him knew not to get his hopes up because their unique situation was complicated and ugly. Besides if this was like most things in his life she would spend five minutes with him before realizing she couldn't stand him and never wanted to see him again and then where would he be?

As much as he would have liked to stay with his self-defacing thoughts he was quickly side-railed as he walks into the Lightman Group and was confronted with a group of kids getting visitor badges. Lightman was waiting impatiently at the side. After the teacher, who by the way was pretty cute, finished putting their name tags she lead them over to Lightman who then started explaining what they did at The Lightman Group. Eli made his way over to Miss Angela and introduced himself before following the group and interjecting when appropriate as Lightman explained his talents.

"Lightman is miserable," Eli told the teacher merrily after having enough of just observing, "What strings did you pull to get him to do this?"

"I had Emily ask," Miss Angela confessed, "She tutors a couple of the kids. Thought I could turn our class problem into a teachable moment." 

"Glad to be of help," Eli said with a knowing smile. 

Emily was of course Lightman's greatest weakness. He was suddenly very glad he dragged himself into work today. It was times like this that showed why he was so loyal to Lightman . For as hard and jaded Lightman could be on a day to day basis he was a soft and loving father not only to Emily but also any other child Lightman deemed as innocent. Eli loved how even though it was obvious as day which kid took Clyde the turtle Lightman was focused more on teaching her a valuable lesson over getting the chore over with. This looked like it would be the distracting day he needed to take his mind of his indecision. That was until 'Agent Ben' pull them away and told them there was a bomb two blocks away. The next few minutes were chaotic until Lightman lead the way back to the kids and they lead them to the safety of the conference room.

"Hey eight third-graders in a room with no toys and no puppies?" Eli asked rhetorically," It's going to be chaos."

"Yeah. Speaking of puppies, you like kids, don't you?"

Eli did not like the look he was getting from Lightman and for half a second he thought Lightman might be aware of how he supplemented his income before giving a quick but firm, "No," to the unspoken question.

Unsurprisingly, Lightman hardly waited for the response before walking into the conference room and introducing Eli as crazy Uncle Loker. The next hour was hard and a little awkward for him since he was having a hard time breaking down his job into small enough pieces for the kids to understand. Not that he didn't know how to talk to kids, he did it all the time at the youth center he worked at, it just was hard to get these two compartments of his brain to merge on such short notice. Undeterred Eli muddy his way through since this was the assignment given to him and he thought it was important to keep the kids from finding out. But there was only so long he could keep the lecture going... the kids were already bored out of their minds.

Thankfully, Lightman popped in and Eli had him explain to the kids why they couldn't leave yet. Eli couldn't help but watch with a bit of awe at how Lightman could make lying about their bus not being there look so easy and innocent all the while continuing with his lesson about the turtle. This distraction was short lived as Lightman turned and told him to get his guitar with a slap to his back. Eli couldn't remember the last time Lightman had made that request of him. It must have been back when he was still a teen in college, around when Doctor Foster had joined. Lightman was working out of his garage when he had recruited Eli to work as a research intern. For the first two years it was just him, Lightman and a couple others that eventually left to join Jack Rader, who left right before Eli's time.

One day Lightman had called Eli to his house on short notice to work on something when Eli was at a friends house jamming. Eli, being close to where Lightman lived at the time, went straight there with his guitar. Once Lightman had seen it he insisted Eli show him what he could do with it and afterwards requested Eli bring it with him. From then on Eli did and would play whenever asked but then Lightman changed and Foster joined in as a partner and they moved to DC and the request became fewer until they stopped altogether. Now he couldn't even remember the last time Lightman asked but he still always brought it until he bought a new one a couple a years ago and then he just kept the old one under his desk that he used when he was alone and bored analyzing videos late at night. Frankly he was surprised Lightman still remembered.

After he grabbed his guitar from his desk he tried to reassure Angela who was starting to unravel a bit by telling her he trusted in Lightman to be able to get them out of this mess and that he was focusing on the task of keep the kids from freaking out. He inwardly softened at her honesty of being scared but knew the best things for the both of them was to focus on the kids and told her he would do his best to distract her if she helped him with the kids. He walked in all ready to play the first kids song that popped into his head. Who knew kids could be such a hard crowd? This really was a strange day. Puff the magic dragon was so out.

After twenty minutes of uninterrupted playing Oscar raised his hand to use the bathroom and Eli put down his guitar to take him. The last thing he expected was for Lightman and the Fed big shot to be have such a sensitive conversation right outside the conference room. Once Oscar heard the word boom Eli and Lightman both knew there wasn't anything that could undo the boy's curiosity. Lightman quickly did what he could in damage control by just telling the truth before sending them on the way for Eli to deal with the scared boy.

Once back in the conference room hunger became the main complaint of the fidgety eight year olds so Eli thought to lead Angela to the break room to scrounge up snacks for the kids. On there way back Angela asked him if knowing people lied all the time made him cynical and he told her it did but that he got to see the truth sometimes. If she had asked more he would have explained that the hope of seeing that truth is why he did this job like a treasure hunt for something most precious and valuable to him even though he did occasionally lose sight of that. Like when she confessed that she was really scared right then. Not an ounce of deception that would be beautiful if they were not in the situation they were in. 

"I just-- I want another chance, you know? I'd do things different. Is that a stupid thing to say?" Angela desperately asked and it suddenly hit him what all his indecision meant because if he died today the greatest of many things he would regret is not overcoming his fears and meeting his sister.

"No, no it's not," Eli said before being told Oscar was acting weird. 

Oscar actually did remarkable well before the stress of his secret started affecting him physically. Luckily this was something Eli knew how to handle out of his own personal experience. Taking the time he had to walk over to the boy to go quickly through his memories to find the most mild example he could think of to share.

"Hey. You know when I was your age, I had a crush on a this girl." He told him as he knelt at eye level, "Older woman, really. Sixth grader. I was always worrying about it, stressing out about it. And, uh, then I realized that there was nothing you can do."

"Umm," Eli continued as he reached over and grabbed pens for the paper on the desk and sat down in a chair, "So sometimes, when there's nothing you can do, you just have to believe that everything's gonna be okay. And you write a song. You can't be worried and write a song at the same time. Right?"

Eli hoped he hadn't given too much of himself away as he turned to Angela to hand her the paper and pen, "I mean, you look to me like a guy who can write some fantastic rhymes."

"Am I right? Yep? I can tell that about you," Eli told Oscar as he leaned forward in a conspiring whisper while Angela watched with a soft smile on her face, "I can see it on your face. So let's give it a shot."

The next hour went quickly as Eli and Oscar worked on the lyrics eventually including the rest of the class. After composing a quick melody they were ready to give the song a try. Boredom and fear left long behind. 

I say I'm 10 when I'm nine and a half.  
My Uncle tells a joke and I try to laugh  
In gym I fake a headache when I want to quit

As Eli started to play Gillian came in having heard the music. While she had seen the guitar and has heard Emily mention Eli playing she had never seen it herself in the seven years she has been with the Lightman group.

I say I love the sweater my grandma knit  
but that's a white lie (white lie) ~ the kids join in  
That the kind you want to tell a white lie (white lie)  
So your mom won't have to yell a white lie (white lie)  
Everybody does it cause it feels alright and it's more polite  
but a lie's still a lie even when it's white

As Eli turned the main singing to Angela he finally noticed Foster watching him with a smile on her face which in turned made him more self-aware. He could tell he was surprising her with his forgotten talent and couldn't help raise his eyebrows at her as they finished the song. It wasn't long after that the bomb crisis was over and the kids could finally leave but not before Eli got to witness the girl confess to Lightman and decide to tell Miss Angela the truth about Clyde the turtle. 

Relief filled him in a way he really didn't think he has ever known as he watched the kids start filing out with Miss Angela behind him. Then Angela turned back to what Eli thought was to say goodbye to all of them until she grabbed his face and kissed him good making Lightman smirk, Foster blush and the kids laugh at the sight. Then all three of them headed to Lightman's office for a drink which Eli gladly accepted before begging off for the night and began his walk home. 

As he got outside and breathed the evening air he couldn't help but feel grateful to be alive with one more chance to do things right. There was nothing like a bomb scare to help clear the fog of fear and put thing in proper perspective. He had a phone call to make that was two days overdue.


	3. Chapter 2: First Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings they can be the start of something new. They also can be the missing piece that you weren't aware of until it finds its way home.

The Making of a Family: Kinship

 

Chapter 2: First Encounter

 

Of all the things that could have made Olivia late to what could be one of the most important meetings of her life, she couldn't believe she might have made herself late over clothes. She knew... she knew... the drive would be completely dependent on traffic and would need at least 30 more minutes then what she had to be safe. All she could do though was straightened up in her car seat and forced herself not to speed as she once again glanced at her radio clock. She was really close on time but getting a ticket would not help anything especial as an out-of-state cop. It didn't help that her bedroom looked like a bomb went off by the time she left that morning and she still wasn't completely satisfied that she had made the right choice. She hadn't been this concerned about something as silly as what to wear since she was a teenager. 

 

Usually she would just throw something on without putting too much thought but still look the part for whatever the day's brought whether it be work or dates or even running to the store. This though... What was the etiquette for something like this anyways? Would dressy seem pretentious or would causal seem flippant? There was really no rules or life experience to draw from except that making the right first impression often means everything. Truthfully, she has gone on blind dates less nerve racking.

 

Eventually, she settled on a pair of comfortable dark washed jeans, maroon blouse, and boots. Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail allowing her bangs to frame her eyes. She also had grabbed a jacket to dress her outfit up just in case. On her passenger seat was her jacket along with her purse and off duty weapon since she was still deciding whether if she wanted to stash it in her purse or glove box.This was because although she had heard nothing but good things from Doctor Matterson she still couldn't help but worry about what mark their father might have left within her brother. Just as she couldn't help but worry about how she was affected by his violent genetic legacy.

 

Relief filled her as she saw the sign for her exit and she knew she was going to make it to the diner on time. It had been awhile since she has had any reason to go to Philadelphia or leave New York for that matter but she was familiar enough with the area to find the cafe Doctor Matterson picked for their meeting place and was soon pulling up in the parking lot. As she directed her car into a space she spied a young man sitting on a car with D.C. plates and quickly recognized him from the pictures included with his background check. 

 

Taking a moment for a quick glance in the mirror, Olivia grabbed her purse and slipped her gun inside before getting out of the car. Olivia made sure to carefully studied the man as she approached him and couldn't help smile at how similar their clothing choices were. He was wearing jeans, boots, a button up shirt with a brown jacket. His hair was full of messy curls and he had a good amount of growth on his face. Overall it said laid back and approachable though she could sense a nervous air around him as he pushed away from his car to face her. 

 

"Eli Loker?" Olivia question as she approached him.

 

"Detective Benson?" He questioned in return as he took her offered hand.

 

"Olivia," she told him, "and you.."

 

"Eli's fine," he assured her as he let go of her hand and leaned in with a quick glance around as if he didn't want to be heard.

 

"Just so we are clear I've never done anything violent towards a woman and I never will. I believe in trying to solve problems with words foremost but that pacifism and aggression both have their proper time and place. To be honest I have been in my share of fights but in my defense they were mostly in self-defense. My mouth mixed with my unique tastes have a way of making people want to beat the crap out of me," Eli voice was calm and steady and his face showed nothing but earnest as he dropped this bomb on her.

 

"I just thought that we should kick that elephant out of the room from the get go or we really won't learn anything about each other," Seeing that Olivia was trying to think of a protest he quickly continued to cut her off," I mean it is only natural to wonder. The thought crossed my mind about you, you know but I figure you're a girl who has been on the force for more than a decade without getting kicked off so there is a lot less risk of you being a psycho then if you were my brother. Me on the other hand you wouldn't know until you really got to know me so I see no reason to be offended or hide the fact you probably have your off duty weapon close by," Eli tried to say as casually as possible as he leaned back into his car.

 

Olivia couldn't help but make a slight fish impression as she tried to process what was just said, "It's in my purse actually. You really don't hold back do you? Doctor Matterson tried to explain some of your ah... quarks to me but that was... Truthful I don't know what that was."

 

"I call it radical honesty. Well you didn't deck me so that's good for a couple of reasons; strengthens my belief you are not a psycho and gives me hope we can get through the next hour without me making you hate me before you get to know me," Eli told her.

 

"I have a thick skin so I think I can take a little bluntness from you stranger. Might make this a whole lot easier actually," Olivia told him.

 

"I do hope that is the case. Although I'm thinking George has to have made a mistake somewhere because there is no way a girl as beautiful as you that drives that car can possible be apart as the same gene pool as me," Eli told her as he gestured to her and then her car.

 

Olivia not sure how to respond settled on a , "uh thanks?"

 

"Sorry it's a compliment really," Eli said with a blush, his first hit of nervousness since the original adrenaline of meeting was wearing off.

 

Olivia just gave him a heartfelt smile. She couldn't believe the relaxed atmosphere that was already starting to form between them. She knew she should still keep up her guard around him and her cop instincts wouldn't just let her put her guard down but when he just came out and called her on her worry like that, breaking most socially acceptable norms in the process she couldn't help but believe him. Though only time would truly tell the character of her slightly dorky younger brother.

 

"I know as I said Doctor Matterson explained your quarks to me."

 

~~~~

 

Quarks? Well Eli decided that he should just be glad George didn't describe him as the fruitcake he thought Eli was back when they first meet. Their first meeting had not gone well though they had eventually became friends despite the rather rude comment he had made about George's then girlfriend. So it was a bit warming that George had took it upon himself to soften Olivia's first impression of his radical honest in order to help Eli not make a fool of himself. 

 

"Well I don't know if I should be offended or grateful about that. Who am I kidding? I'll be the first one to admit I'm a bit on the strange side but it's still not fair though since now you have a clear advantage over me. George wouldn't tell me a thing about you so I almost ran you through the FBI data bank. Would probably have had to explain why though and that is a conversation I'm not sure I would have been ready to have. If you know what I mean," Eli told her with disarming smile and a voice full of conspiracy.

 

George really hadn't told him anything and no amount of begging on Eli's part had swayed him. He stood firm on the point that he didn't know her well enough to cast any judgments that might influence Eli's first impression of her. At the time Eli had been annoyed but now he got the point because no words could accurately describe the woman before him. Her posture and aura said cop, tough and slightly unapproachable, but she was also feminine and had a gracefulness that spoke of a wise maturity people rarely achieve. Oh and yeah she was beautiful with a great car. There was really no way she could share genes with someone who was as much a nerd as he was.

 

"Yes I do. This is not something a person just drops around the office cooler. Should we go inside?" Olivia said while indicating the door to the dinner.

 

"Oh, right we should. Why stand out here talking when we could be in there talking? And eating!" Eli told her as he opened the door for her to go in.

 

"Don't forget drinking coffee!" Olivia said and Eli could see a playful side coming out to meet his. She was the charmer.

 

"So Olivia," Eli started as if testing her name, "How did you meet Georgie?"

 

"Georgie?" Olivia laughed.

 

"Sorry, Doctor Matterson. How did you end up at his lab?" Eli clarified.

 

"Well I was working on a case where we need to find the biological father of an abducted boy," Olivia explained but paused as the waitress took their drink orders and gave them their menus, "The mother committed suicide after the media accused her killing her son and the only lead we had on who might have taken the boy was a past boyfriend who could be the boy's biological father but we had no leads on who he was. Our medical examiner brought up kinship DNA analysis as a way to find a member of his father's family if anyone had ever been incarcerated on a felony. It worked and we got the guy which got me thinking about my DNA. If I ran mine would anything pop? I almost just ran mine as an official request which would have been ah.."

 

"A big no no?" Eli interjected to show he was actively listening.

 

"Yes that's one way of putting it considering it would have been illegal," Olivia continued with a small smile, "I ended up mentioning my thoughts to Melinda, that's our medical examiner, and she referred me to Doctor Matterson."

 

"What kind of detective are you? Missing persons? George mentioned you worked Manhattan," Eli questioned

 

"Oh I work with SVU actually," Olivia watched Eli closely to gauge his reaction as she told him.

 

"Special victims? That is a voluntary unit right?" Eli questioned with a raised brow, "Did your mother's experience have anything to do with you choosing to become a cop?"

 

~~~

 

Olivia was surprised again. She was just not use to being around someone so blunt, no matter how much she was trying to play it off. Not really surprising considering she spent most of her time trying to drag and trick the truth out of people. It was really refreshing though and she could feel her hopes starting to rise that her brother was a decent guy that might want her in his life. His bluntness and humor were a disarming mixture.

 

"Yes mostly. I always hated the fact that the man never paid for what he did to my mother, the way he made her suffer. I always wanted to be the one who fixed that. My mother was not thrilled about my choice especial when I joined SVU because she thought I was living too much in the shadow of the circumstances surrounding my birth but that's not really the case. Well not completely... I just like or actually it might be closer to need, need to see justice done for people who can't help themselves. It gives me purpose in a world that I have known since childhood is cruel and ugly."

 

"I completely know what you mean," Eli told her, "Knowing how bad it can be makes you want to search out the counterpoint even if you only see a glimpse of it now and then. For me it is truth and for you it's justice though it is really ease to lose sight of it when it is so rare to see."

 

"Yes exactly," Olivia agreed before they both fell into a comfortable silence. 

 

Soon the waitress was back taking orders and much to both their surprise they ordered similar things two different burgers but hold the mayo and extra pickles and onions please. Olivia could feel a strong connection already growing with the young man that was unlike anything she had felt before. Although she just realized she had been the one doing most of the talking and she had yet to learn much about him yet, besides that they seemed to have similar taste in food. She could tell he was one of those people who could easily lead a conversation and while doing a lot of talking could walk away without giving anything significant away. This could be especially true if he always said what was on his mind because that would make it difficult for people to look past the surface. As a detective and his big sister she was not going to let him get away with that though. She wanted to know everything about him, for good or bad.

 

"Are you and Doctor Matterson good friends?" Olivia asked breaking the silence as the waitress brought their food.

 

"I guess you can say that since we have known each other since college," Eli told her as he took a sip of his coffee, "He needed help in some of his classes and I tutored him. After that we often hung out and even were roommates for awhile."

 

"You tutored him? Isn't he a good deal older than you?" Olivia asked as she tried to picture Doctor Matterson in her mind.

 

"Don't let the black glasses and white lab coat fool you. He is only three years older than me and we started NYU at the same time," Eli explained.

 

"I read that you started at sixteen so does that mean you were one of those eggheads?" Olivia asked with a teasing smirk. 

 

"Oh no nothing like that. You see I moved around a lot growing up thanks to my dad's occupational hazards," Eli started.

 

"Occupational hazards?" Olivia questioned.

 

"The polite way of putting it. You see on a good day he was a conman, a normal day he was a petty two-timing thief and always a psychopathic liar. It made staying in one place very long nearly impossible so instead of always restarting in a new school my mom just home schooled me. I didn't mind because I didn't make friends easy anyways and I would rather spend my days with my nose in a book. My mom was an extraordinary teacher so I was always ahead whenever I did get go to school. By the time I was 15 I was just tired of playing the high school game so I just decided to test out and go for my GED. After that college was just the easy way to leave home at 16 without enlisting under false pretense or joining the circus. ," Eli said nonchalantly making Olivia laugh.

 

"Oh you're a funny one. NYU is a private school though it must have been costly," she commented making sure to take the lead in the conversation. 

 

"My mom graduated from their nursing program. Now she was the one with the high IQ. She got a free ride private scholarship. She knew what boots to kiss to get me enough partials to help pay while I worked through," Eli explained wistfully.

 

"She sounds like a wonderful person," Olivia told him.

 

"She was.. for all her intelligence I will never understand why she put up with my father or at least the man I grew up thinking as my father," Eli decide to put out there.

 

"You didn't know growing up?" Olivia asked after deciding that she wanted to go their if Eli was willing to lead.

 

"Did you?" Eli unintentionally deflected.

 

Seeing his question for what it was Olivia decided to open up a little more in hopes of getting him to open up about this area as well since it was the best way to quickly judge his core character.

 

"I don't really remember not knowing though I know I had to have been old enough to understand before she explained it to me."

 

"I only found out five years ago but the signs were always there. Looking back with what I know I can see the fear clearly," Eli interjected after seeing her willingness to open up in an effort to lead him.

 

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. That look that says she is wondering what you might be capable of," Olivia did know, "I never understood it growing up. Only that it put her up in arms against my father whenever he tried to get me involved in things that were aggressive like wrestling or football. Oh and I can remember this time when he was completely drunk and went at me and I fought back. The look of horror on my mother's face... let's just say I tried not to fight back after that. I thought she was worried I was becoming my father but I guess the really question was which one. She was never sure herself. Don't get me wrong she loved me but my childhood was strained and well just plain strange on the best days."

 

"I know what you mean. My mom always tried her best to make sure I knew she wouldn't trade me for anything but that didn't stop her from becoming a drunk in her effort to deal what was done to her," Olivia told him.

 

Olivia and Eli fell into more silence as they eat as she wasn't sure what to say. She saw herself in his story but wasn't sure if she was making the right decision revealing so much of herself this early in the game. Almost as if Eli knew where her thoughts were drifting to he looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before smiling at her seriously but slightly impish as he leaned in closer to her so not to be heard.

 

~~~

 

Eli was enjoying the silence while relaxing in the knowledge that he was talking to someone, his sister, that understood things that no one ever has or ever has tried to. Things that truly influenced his core character. All of that and she didn't even trust him yet! How could she with what their connection truly was. It wasn't easy to ignore and much less forget what actually bonded them, violence and evil that was once harbored in the very soul of their biological father. So after a few more minutes he made a decision after forcing his thoughts in a more positive direction causing him to leaned in with mischief all over his face. 

 

"Well Ms. detective lady I think I should teach you some of the benefits of radical honesty by playing a question game to really get to know each other," Eli challenged.

 

"Okay but I get to go first," Olivia said as she shifted forward a little excited to meet his challenge, "what cereal do you eat captain crunch or....

 

~~~~~~

 

As the question game progressed so did time with lunch falling away to coffee and then coffee leading into dinner. Questions eventually became stories and confession that made them feel as if they were old friend.

 

"Okay so there was this time when Homeland Security wanted Lightman to test out their new handheld polygraph. So Lightman order this African egg that arrived the day of the test," Eli told her with laughter in his voice.

 

"An egg?" Olivia asked skeptical.

 

"Yes they were first used in West Africa during trials to determine if someone was lying because it responses to the anxiety of the person holding it by breaking. So Lightman handed it to the guy newly appointed as TSA deputy, who was the guy in charge the handheld project mind you while completely tearing the accuracy of the devices to shreds and it broke when the guy got angry. The look on the guy's face was a rewind moment. One of the perks of working in an office where almost everything is detailed recorded for research sake is I get viewing privileges."

 

"Oh really," Olivia responded with laughter.

 

"Yes I have a top ten hit collection that I will so have to show you someday," Eli said.

 

"I look forward to that."

 

~~~~

 

"So I will admit my partner can be a hot head sometimes but under the circumstances I would have probably held the guy under until he at least passed out. Sometimes it is just hard to keep your emotions under control especial when the case involves kids," Olivia said as she came to the end of a short explanation on her co-workers.

 

"You care about him don't you?" Eli asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

"Who Elliot? Of course I care about him he's my partner," Olivia said trying to sidestep what she knew Eli was implying.

 

"No I mean care about him. Come on I told you about Ria, it's only fair. Besides it's all over your face. Isn't that against regulations?" Eli said bluntly refusing to let her avoid the question.

 

"Yes that would be against regulations if that were the case but there is nothing like that between us. Okay I would be lying if I said it has never crossed my mind but Elliot is the best friend I have ever had. That probably sounds sappy but it's true and besides he's married and I don't go for married men. Cathy and the kids are good for him and he needs them more than even he knows and what kind of friend would I be to complicate the best thing he has in his life? Actually at the moment he is separated from his wife and I'm making sure to stay clear because he really needs to wake up and make up with her before she decides being a cops wife is more trouble than it's worth," Olivia explained.

 

"Relationships like that are rare and should be treasured. Your partner is lucky to have you watching his back in multiple areas," Eli told her wistfully as he had yet to have had the privilege of such a relationship.

 

~~~

 

Olivia opened her mouth to continue even though she wasn't sure what else to say on the manner when Eli's phone vibrating saved her the trouble.

 

"Sorry I have to take this. It's my boss lady," Eli told her apologetically before bringing the phone to his ear.

 

"Hello....Uh well...sorta not... actually I'm out of Washington at the moment but I'm planning on being home tonight why?...Really how sick?... well that's bad timing... no there isn't much left to do I only left him with the last bit because Mark said he wanted to sink his teeth in a bit...Really? and Lightman just decided not put that on the schedule? Okay so I'll just handle it... no really it makes more sense anyways since I did the majority of the analysis anyway... I was already planning on double checking on him in the morning to make sure before the hand off... um for me probably 30 minutes to an hour assuming it's close to what I left him with..." As Eli talked Olivia just took the time to observe his part of the one-sided interaction enjoying his open but serious expressions.

 

"I'll take care of it tonight so that there won't be any problems with the hand off... A new client... sure I don't mind what time... oh it's close but doable... will I get Torres or is she going with you... okay... no I'm sure we can handle it on our own... what's the info," Eli asked as he reached into his bag a pulled out notebook and pen before starting to scribble for a minute, "hand off at 8:00, Professor Sam Hendricks at 8:30 got it...uh huh... yeah have a good night Dr. Foster," Eli put his phone on the table and gave Olivia an awkward smile.

 

"Should we call this a night?" Olivia asked while gesturing out the window to the darkening sky, caught off guard by the deep disappointment she felt at the words.

 

"Unfortunately, I guess that might be best. We both got at least a couple hour drive back, probably more with traffic," Eli tried to say lightly but Olivia could tell he felt the same disappointment.

 

They both got up to leave and what Olivia thought would be to pay but Eli just waved at the cashier and wished her a good night as he opened the door for Olivia to step through. She did walk passed him outside but not without throwing him a confused look.

 

 

"I arranged to pay the bill before you got here. Cuts out the awkward arguing that always comes up when grown ups eat together as we try to remind ourselves that we are civilized and generous," Eli told her with a smirk.

 

Olivia laughed and held out her hand, "Your phone please."

 

"Oh right. Good thinking," Eli said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, "I'll give you mine if you give me yours."

 

Olivia handed hers over as she accepted his and started programming her cell and work number into his phone. After she was done she took a moment to snoop on his phone by scanning his contacts and pictures. Deciding that she felt comfortable enough to admit her curiosity she brought up a picture of two girls.

 

"Who are they," she asked getting Eli's attention. He handed her phone back to her with a sly smile before looking at what she bought up.

 

"The beautifully exotic looking one is Ria and the other is Emily, Lightman's daughter," Eli told her before taking back his phone.

 

"So..." Olivia started but then didn't know how to continue. She really didn't want to say goodbye since it felt like there was no guarantee they would speak again.

 

"So let's agree to talk and/or text tomorrow. I mean only if you want to," Eli said with his head turned away from her and his hand touching his head, "I would like to continue to get to know you better."

 

Olivia smiled, "I would like that too. So then goodnight Eli. We'll talk tomorrow." 

 

"Goodnight Olivia," Eli said before stepping forward and taking her off guard with a quick hug before quickly retreating and heading back to his car.

 

Tomorrow...tomorrow had promise to be a good day.

 


	4. Chapter 3: Seperate but Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know someone takes work and time.

The Making of Family: Kinship

 

Chapter 3: Separate but Together

 

Eli groaned and pulled a pillow over his head for a moment before reaching over and turning his alarm clock off. It took all his self control not to hit the snooze and convince himself to sit up and swing his legs off the bed. Eventually, he stood and headed towards the kitchen all the way making a good impression of a zombie to start the coffee. The reason being he didn't get home until 2 that morning and found himself so wound up over the events of the day that he had trouble falling asleep. Needless to say 6 am came way too quickly for his liking. 

 

As expected, traffic coming home had been terrible and after getting back to the office he had wasted a good amount of time trying to savage Mark's work but he was just unable to follow the incomplete not to mention flu influenced thought process. He couldn't help but wonder if video analysis was anything like detective work since there was many different routes could be taken to end up at the same destination. Same destination or not Eli eventually had to discard Mark's work if he was going to get any sleep that night. This allowed him to go back to what he originally left and finish quickly. 

 

After making sure the coffee pot was functioning he headed to his bathroom for his morning shower. It was only after he was heading back to his room with a coffee cup in his hand that he realized that although he felt tired he was actually in a pretty good mood. He felt good and confident about the responsibilities of the day and he was sure he had Olivia to thank for that. His sister had an encouraging presence about her. In all the time they were together she hadn't made one negative comment towards or about him and beyond that she laughed at all his jokes. It was like she really understood where he was coming from and actually wanted to understand more. It was a new and exciting experience for him after spending so much time with the Lightman group.

 

Smiling, Eli set his cup down and looked in his closet and spotted a shirt he had bought a while ago. It was more professional than he usually wore, a short sleeve button-up but had an unusual circle pattern on it that you wouldn't catch a normal business man wearing. He had been drawn to it instantly but had yet to find a time he felt comfortable enough to wear it. Probably because it said too much about him when he preferred to blend in with the background. Today it just felt right, since he would be in charge a bit and felt like being himself. 

 

So he put the shirt on and even added a red tie and looked at himself in the mirror. Outlandish yes but it made him happy as he grabbed his cell phone and went to eat breakfast. Deciding to embrace his new found confidence even more he brought up Olivia's contact info and opened a text message to wish her a good morning. Who knew what the day was going to bring but he decided he was going to embrace it and try to make some mark on it in a way only he could.

 

~~~~

 

Olivia's day started earlier then she would have liked as well when she got a call shortly after dawn about a body in a church yard. She was still yawning as she got of her car and greeted her partner who was waiting for her.

 

"Good morning," Elliot greeted her much too chipper for the early hour, "how was your date yesterday? You're here so I'm guessing he wasn't a total psychopath. Although I'm still can't believe you didn't bother telling me until you were already out of town. If I didn't call you yesterday no one would have known what happened if you suddenly went missing."

 

"Yeah good morning. It went great actually so there was absolutely no need for you to be noisey. Besides we both know what you really be annoyed about is the idea that if I went missing you would have to do your own paperwork. Where is the body?" Olivia answered dismissing his concern before directing her attention to the crime scene ahead of her.

 

The first impression upon seeing the body was that it was a ritualistic killing considering the positioning and location of the body and the fact he had no eyes. Melinda quickly derailed that easy line of investigation though and enlisted Olivia and Elliot to spend the next good thirty minutes catching birds. By the time they were done she couldn't help but wonder what Eli would think about her little adventure and caught herself wondering when she would hear from him.

 

She just parted from Elliot to drive to the station and was just about to get into her car when her phone started to play a Weird Al song I Love Rocky Road Olivia gave a little startled laugh before pulling out her phone and seeing the text message her brother had sent her. She could see Elliot pausing to give her a strange look as he was opening his car door. Olivia just gave him a non-communal shrug before getting into hers. Turnabout was fair play after all, Olivia thought, as she realized that while she was snooping her brother was personalizing his contact info. She couldn't help but smile at the fact he was already texting her just to say good morning before texting him back and starting the car.

 

After a brief time at the station Olivia spent the rest of her morning canvassing the neighborhood with Munch while Elliot and Fin ran down some gang leads which lead to nothing but dead ends. Truthfully the only useful thing she had accomplished was the texts she sent trying to nail down a time to have a phone conversation with her brother, in her free moments of course. With no other leads they photoshopped a picture of their vic and appealed to the media which meant waiting around St. Mark's for someone to show. Olivia couldn't help but noticed her partners earlier good mood was long gone and was a bit more irritable than the situation warranted.

 

"I'm sorry there's nothing I can do about it," Olivia heard him say discreetly into his cell phone, "Yeah...Bye."

 

Olivia, concerned about his behavior, approached him as he hung up his phone, "Something wrong?"

 

With an exasperated sigh Elliot told her, "Kathy, we were supposed to have a drink tonight. I'm moving back home."

 

Olivia was not expecting this and was a little thrown off from vibes Elliot as sending out, "When?"

 

"We haven't decided. That's why we're going to have a drink." 

 

Despite Elliot not having the outward enthusiasm Olivia would have like to see she was glad for the news because she knew that was what he needed. Quite frankly since she came back from her undercover assignment to find him separated he had been quite moody. Well even more moody than what she was normally use too. She wasn't lying when she told Eli that she thought the best thing for her partner was to lighten up a bit, admit his mistakes and beg Kathy to take him back before she wised up and ran for the hills. Olivia didn't have to think about voicing any of this though since someone choose this time to visit there John doe. 

 

As fate would have it the visitor turned out to be their vic's mother. It would never get any easier have to tell someone that their loved one was murdered especial with the special circumstances that always surrounded their cases. The less dark side though was they had a name, Richard, and an apartment to search. The search turned up Richard's cell phone or rather what use to be his cell phone before Olivia stepped on it and damaged it so bad that Morales their TARU technician could only pull up the last text message. Still it was enough to get an address.

 

The investigation eventually lead to New Souls Church but they decided to wait until the morning to question Reverend Curtis about Richard out of respect for his son's, who was killed in Afghanistan, funeral. This gave Olivia a chance to head home for a shower and to sleep in her own bed but not before hopefully having a chance to talk her brother.

 

~~~~

 

"Yeah so I was having a bad day, it was raining, and no cab would stop when it hit me that this would not be happening if I had a car. You really don't need a car in New York but it wasn't like I was spending my hard earned money on anything else. Considering I spend most of my life at the station. So I decided hey I want a car! So I got a car. Maybe it was a mid-life thing but I wanted to use my salary on more than bills, necessities, shoes, and savings," Olivia said lively with a self-effacing laugh.

 

It had been more than an hour since her brother texted her he was home and she had called him. After deciding neither one of them wanted to discuss work they settled into a comfortable conversation that just drifted from topic to topic. Olivia was pleased to find the connection she felt with Eli the day before was still there even if just over the phone.

 

"You must get paid well," Eli commented breaking into her thoughts.

 

"Well not as well as I'm sure you do working with a consulting firm for the FBI," Olivia responded.

 

"Well I use to when I still got a check," Eli confessed reluctantly.

 

"Used to?" Olivia ask curious at the phrasing.

 

"Yeah, I don't get paid any more because I got demoted to an unpaid intern about...well getting close to a year ago now," Eli explained

 

"Demoted? What did you do? I mean the way you talk I know how important your job is to you so I can't imagine..." Olivia exclaimed.

 

"Yeah well I was fully expecting to get fired at the time so accepting the demotion was a relief."

 

"You are avoiding the question," Olivia stated because she wanted an answer since Eli seemed to have left out the fact that he wasn't getting paid for the job he had described the day before.

 

"Well Lightman Group was working on a case to track down money that was stolen from people retirement in a pyramid scheme. They got the guy but he was dying and not giving up the money so we were called in by the victims to recover their money. Well it turned out it wasn't the guy but rather it was his spawn daughter. Foster tried making a deal with the father that he could take the fall for the daughter and he would get the money back but I couldn't let it go. I felt the girl had to be punished or she wouldn't stop. So I told the authorities and lost our client their retirement."

 

"Wow Eli I...," Olivia started.

 

"It gets worse," Eli told her.

 

"Sorry continue."

 

"Instead of owning up to what I did I panicked at the thought of losing the only thing I cared about and lied about it to Foster when she questioned me. Then because I couldn't handle the guilt I brought Ria into it by telling her what I had done. After an agonizing week of questioning I finally realized that betraying what I stood for with my radical honesty, endangering Ria job, and being overall miserable was not worth keeping my job. Not to mention it took Ria’s then boyfriend to give me the epiphany that I was on the road of becoming my dad, uh James. But by the time I had built up the courage to confess, Lightman called me into his office only to tell me he knew and he was using me to test Ria ability to keep confidence which she passed with flying colors. He then gave me the choice of being demoted and losing my paycheck or leaving and so of I course chose to stay." 

 

Olivia processed the story for a minute, "Why couldn't you let it go?"

 

"Excuse me?" Eli asked surprised she asked that out of all the things he imagined.

 

"You knew you could lose your job but you still turned the daughter in, why?"

 

"Truthfully, the whole case hit way too close to home. Both the father and daughter remind me way too much of James and I knew what he would be thinking in their shoes. He wouldn't have stopped. He just would not have got caught the next time and some other people would have been out of their retirement money with the main difference being they would never have a chance for justice. I would like to say making sure justice was served while it could be was my motivation but that would be a lie. I'm really not sure myself, though it probably was just a projection of some deep rooted issue that I will never give the time of day."

 

"Which leaves you without pay? How do you live?" Olivia questioned unable to get the idea of college age bachelors living off of instant noodles out of her head. 

 

"Just fine. I had a pretty good savings built up and the next day I downgraded my apartment to a cheaper one with a roommate. I've cut out all extra expenditures and started getting paid at the youth center I was volunteering at. That is actually where I have been spending my free time when I'm not at Lightman's."

 

Olivia did not like this at all. Yesterday Eli described what he did for the Lightman group which sound just as involving as her job as a detective and he wasn't even getting compensated for it. Plus he was working a second job on top of it. Yes he made a mistake and seemed to deserve it but a whole year? The protective feeling that was welling up in her was new and alarming to her and she had no idea how to respond. Luckily for her Eli seemed to sense her distress or maybe he took it as displeasure towards him but he decided to end the awkward silence that was starting between them. 

 

"Look we both have an early day ahead of us tomorrow. We should call it a night and talk again tomorrow?" Olivia hated the uncertainty in his voice and knew her lack of response was the cause.

 

"Yes I look forward to that. I will talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight," Olivia told him.

 

"Goodnight," Eli told her and then the phone disconnected.

 

Olivia looked around her room awkwardly before reaching out to hook her cell to the charger when a text came in wishing her sweet dream with no bedbugs. Once she was sure her phone was charging she slipped into bed with a small smile on her face. They were going to be just fine.

 

~~~~~

The next morning Olivia arrived to the station bright and early ready to go with Elliot to pick up their suspect. Olivia was original reluctant to wait because of the funeral considering the Reverend was a murder suspect and Richard's mom had lost a son too and this feeling was reinforced when they had to wade through the vultures known as the media to get Curtis back to the station. Who had tipped them off anyway? They better hope she never found out. 

 

After a lengthy and unconventional interrogation Elliot finally got a confession out of the Reverend by taking him to his church and appealing to his faith. The only thing left to do was to wait for him to be processed and finish filling out their reports.

 

"Hey Liv! I have something I got to show you," Munch called out to her as he walked over desk and took over her computer.

 

It took a few moments and by the time he brought up the news video he wanted Fin and Elliot had gravitated over to see what he was doing. Olivia was surprised to see her brother's face appear on the screen. Eli looked nice but slightly out of place to her dressed fully in a suit and tie but perfectly in element sitting next to a slightly eccentric looking older man. 

 

"To be clear the Lightman Group is putting it's hard-won reputation on the line for a UFO sighting?" The reporter asked Eli incredulously.

 

Eli just smirked as he flippantly relaxed in his chair, perfectly natural, "Now that we have a second eyewitness and physical evidence, we think it is time that we got some answers from our government."

 

"Aren't you worried this could become a national security issue?" The reporter countered.

 

The Professor took this opportunity to jump in, "If the Air Force is telling me the truth and they didn't pick up an object this size, then we already got a huge problem." 

 

"Mr. Hickson is telling the truth. When you know that, why not bet the ranch?" Eli told the reporter cheekily which made Olivia laugh out loud. So this is what Eli didn't want to talk about last night even though she could tell he was enthusiastic about his work.

 

"UFO sighting really? Don't you have anything better to wasted out time on?" Fin asked not yet catching the connection, "just another whack job to add to your conspiracy club."

 

"Hey! He not a whack job! A bit of a dork maybe but if he is willing to back the teacher up it because the fact say it's the truth," Olivia defended automatically while realizing that she could sound like she was defending UFO's.

 

"What you know that guy?" Elliot questioned even as he put the pieces together, "Really Liv? That's your brother?"

 

"Yes that's my brother and don't say it like that. He really is a great guy. He may come off a bit odd at times but that is only because he lives by a set of standards that he isn't willing to bend just to appear well..."

 

"Non-loony?" Fin offered in jest.

 

"Well I like the guy already," Munch told her brashly, "admit it...he is the dorky little brother you always wish you had."

 

"As in he is a geek but he is my geek so only I get to pick on him kind of way? Yes absolutely," Olivia told him honestly.

 

"As I said my kind of guy which begs the question when do I get to meet him?" Munch questioned. 

 

"Yeah when do we get to meet him," Elliot mimicked.

 

"You guys! I only got to meet him a couple of days ago you really don't expect me to share," they just looked at her, "not anytime soon, okay? Oh look Curtis should have been processed by now and I still have half a report to finish...

 

~~~

 

Olivia made it home just after eight and took her time changing as she waited for her dinner to arrive. It was just about nine when she was settled nicely on her couch with a carton of orange chicken in her hand when Eli finally called.

 

"Hey I saw you on the news today," Olivia told him after they exchanged pleasantries. 

 

"Really? I know it didn't get picked up by the big news channels," Eli told her confused.

 

"Well one of my colleagues monitors things like that and knew I would be interested since it was you and showed me."

 

"Oh people at work known about this... about us?" Eli asked.

 

"Yeah well they already know my history and I got yelled at when I did a background check on you and had to explain myself so they have known for a few weeks. I hope that isn't a problem," Olivia asked worriedly. It was a sensitive subject after all.

 

"Oh that's fine really. I was just surprised since I haven't told anyone yet. Though that's mainly due to fact I don't really have anyone to tell. Lightman Group just isn't that kind of place for me."

 

"What kind of place is it to you?" Olivia couldn't help but ask.

 

"Most days home... Family," Eli said in a joyless tone that told her something was bothering him.

 

"Is something wrong?" Olivia asked

 

"You can tell? Well I wasn't going to bring it up, it's fine," Eli told her which she knew was the closest thing to a straight lie he had told her since they meet.

 

"No really I want to know. You have been nothing but happy and charming the last three days I want to see the other proofs of humanity too," Olivia coaxed.

 

"Proof of humanity? Really?" Eli asked incredulously.

 

"Yes to know and truly accept someone you have to take the good with the bad while encouraging the best. Something my mom taught me. It's okay to allow yourself not to be the most relaxed person in the room," Olivia told him.

 

"I lied today, on purpose. Actually I perpetrated a lie on a whole school," Eli confessed bitterly.

 

"I assume this has to do with the Professor who saw the UFO," Olivia concluded.

 

"Yeah, my media stunt got the attention of the government enough to send a guy over with a really weak cover story. There was no way the Professor was going to buy it. After I talked to the guy I realized that it was a strong possibility that the government might not know what that thing in the sky was but they were never going to admit that. The way things stood the only thing that was certain was that Professor Hickson was going to lose his job and he still wouldn't have the truth. So I helped the guy come up with a better story to pacify Hickson and save his job."

 

"That's good though isn't it? The only thing that pursuing it further would have done was ruin his career and Lightman group's reputation," Olivia reasoned.

 

"Maybe but that isn't really the point," Eli told her.

 

"Then what is the point?"

 

"Lie's always have consequence, Olivia. It doesn't matter if the ends seem to justify the means. It is never worth it in the end. I might not see what the consequence are but they will happen and if anything I have just seared my own conscience. Will this just make the choice easier next time?"

 

"It's possible. Considering you are not being completely truthful now," Olivia stated.

 

"What do you mean?" Eli asked surprised.

 

"I can tell you're upset about having to lie and I know how important that is to you but I can tell that's not what's wrong or at least not the biggest part of it."

 

"Ah yes my sister the talented detective. I'm not meaning to lie, which by the way is why my work so important because it is against human nature to be 100% truthful all the time. So I'm not meaning too, it's just hard to think about much less talk about... I almost lost Ria and Lightman today," Eli explained.

 

"Lost as in?" Olivia clarified.

 

"Killed well murdered by a Ted Bundy wannabe," Eli quipped bitterly.

 

"What happened?" Olivia asked concerned.

 

"Well the reason I was in charge of the Professor Hickson case was because Lightman was teaching a class for a old University Professor but of course Lightman can't just be like anyone else in the world and do his job and go home. No he had to find that one of the students was a woman hating murdering sociopath which of course he immediately brought to the school's attention which they didn't buy since Foster didn't see what Lightman saw even though there was a open missing person case on campus. So Lightman of course decided to stop the guy himself by having Reynolds follow the guy with him, speaking to his mother, handing out warning flyers at the school," Eli ranted.

 

"Really?" Olivia asked slightly impressed that Eli boss would go to that extent to stop someone he perceived as dangerous.

 

"Oh yeah Lightman is like a bloodhound on a scent when he is convinced he is right. Well the guy obviously wasn't happy about it so he retaliated by stalking Ria and following her into a coffee shop and proceeded to charm her into agreeing to go to a concert with him and dropping her guard. After she had turn her back to him to fish out a card from her purse he informed her that he knew LIghtman and if he was who Lightman thought he was Ria would have been dead."  

 

"Did he do anything?" Olivia asked slipping into cop mode at the thought of that kind of monster being that close to someone her brother cared greatly for.

 

"No, no that was it. It totally freaked her out and made her question her ability to read people but she was fine. But of course Lightman just stepped up his attack plan up several notches and enlisted his Professor which I guess he had slept with as a student who was now currently bedding Martin the psycho. Lightman had her break up with him in hopes that he would attack her. He had a whole sting set up but misjudged the guys pure hatred of him because instead of going for the Professor, Martin, took Lightman. He abducted Lightman right out of the office at gunpoint. I can't tell you how my heart stopped when I brought up the security footage.

 

Everyone went into panic mode because we had no idea where Martin might be holding Lightman. We had no clues to where Martin tortured his victims but we did have a survivor that escaped and were able to track down where the creep was going to bury her. When they got there they found Martin trying to force Lightman to dig his own grave which was all kinds of coincidence and would be funny if it wasn't so messed up. The psycho had repeatedly waterboarded him and most definitely would have killed him if Reynolds team hadn't showed up."

 

"Eli, I'm sorry," Olivia told him.

 

"Don't be Lightman got what he wanted after all even though it wasn't the way he wanted it so I think that is suppose to make it alright in the grand scheme of things. I mean they did find four bodies in that area which happens to be within Virginia borders so I'm hoping he gets the chair and I get to watch," Eli darkly told her.

 

"Eli, you don't mean that. I know how you feel because I have had that same thought many times but the best course of action is to never give that creep another thought and be thankful no one you care about was permanently taken," Olivia told him sisterly.

 

"I know you're right because I need to take the time to be thankful now because who knows when Lightman will get himself or one of us killed in the future. It kind of goes with the job. People do not like the truth exposing their darkness but that is easier said than done. I mean when I think about how close that murderous scumbag was to Ria I..." Eli stopped as he started to choke a bit.

 

"I know Eli. You really care about her don't you?" 

 

"More than I will ever probably be able to admit," Eli admitted honestly before taking a moment to compose himself and change the subject, "Well since it seems I broke the no work talk rule I think it's only fair you tell me about this case you have been working so hard on these last couple of days. I promise not to tell your boss or the media you talked."

 

"I think I can trust you. So tell me what do you know about crows?"

 


	5. Chapter 4: Turning Point:  Breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eventually reality intrudes leaving only the question: How are you going to deal with it?

The Making of Family: Kinship

Chapter 4: Turning Point: Breaking

Eli smiled as he walked out of the Lightman Group and into the afternoon sun. It was a nice day and he held no grudge about being forced out by Ria to go pick up their lunch for the day. Yeah this would be so much better than listening to Lightman's last minute insulting instructions before he head out to catch his flight. He could walk to the deli and enjoy the day and call his sister to see if she had any plans this weekend because well he didn't. They had talked and texted each other all week and Eli was willing the drive all the way out to New York if only to catch her at her lunch break if that meant he could see her face to face again. It wasn't like he had anyone else in his life to invest his spare time in and he was really enjoying having someone to call family.

Unexpectedly, a man with a hat covering his face bummed into Eli without a word, nearly knocking him off his feet, before disappearing around a corner. Feeling his ego sting a bit at his invisibility he steady himself and started walking again in the direction of the deli. Soon he reached the sidewalk adjacent the main street and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his cell phone. He was just about to bring up Olivia's contact info when a voice called out to him.

"Loker... Eli Loker?" 

Eli looked over to see he was being called by a man in a car. The car was dark and non-discrepant as was the man's suit. Obviously a government man and judging by the fact the man knew enough about him to call him out on the street Eli guessed worked with the Pentagon. Although, Eli had never seen this man before but that didn't mean much considering most of the Pentagon contracts were dealt with personally by Lightman or Foster.

"Yes?" Eli responded suspiciously as he walked closer to the street.

"I'm here to speak with your boss but I've never..." the man told him with a wave of his hand that spoke volumes more than his words.

"Oh right just continue straight and at the next right and you will see a parking garage. There an exit in there that will lead to straight to the office," Eli direct the man.

Eli stepped back and the man redirected his car back into traffic. He was turning and redirecting his attention back at the phone when he heard the explosion. There was just enough time for him to turn towards the sound to see the man he had just spoken to be engulfed before being thrown violently to the ground. For the next few moments all he was aware of was a loud ringing in his ears and the feel of the pavement painfully pressing into his face. Everything had suddenly taken on a surreal feel and he felt more like an observer than a participant as his sight began to return to him and he pushed himself off the ground. 

Once he finally found his footing he stood and stared at the destruction and chaos around him. At the sight of what the explosion had done to the surrounding cars he abstractly knew he was very lucky to be alive. He knew he should be doing something...feeling something... but all he could do is vacantly scan the area as if it knew the answer. After a moment he realized his phone was ringing and that by some small miracle it was still in his hand. Ria... he had to get back to the Lightman group, Lightman would have the answer.

~~~

Eli was only vaguely aware of Ria running ahead of him yelling for help. The only thing he knew for sure was he had to tell Lightman. The pain running through his body was starting to register and he momentarily stopped in his tracks until he saw Foster and Lightman round the corner. Foster reached him and he started to try to explain.

"There was a man in that car and he's in...He's dead. He...it was..."

Foster quickly shook her head as if to dismiss his rambling before turning to Torres, "He's in shock. Let's get him to the break room. "

She then turned concerned eyes onto Eli as she gently grabbed his arm to lead him, "Come on this way."

Lightman hung back and Eli knew it was to try to get a hold of Emily. Eli kept his attention trained on him as Foster made him sit and the girls started fussing over his wounds. He hoped Emily was nowhere near where he was when the bomb went off. He let himself concentrate on that and slowly felt reality return to him as he reconnected with his body. Which unfortunately meant he was becoming more aware of how injured he was and the effect of the alcohol being used to clean his wounds. He tried distract himself by keeping his eyes trained on Lightman and Foster while absently listening to the radio account of the incident. 

Strangely he was so focused on observing Lightman and Foster that he almost didn't register the look that passed between them when the broadcast started talking about the man he just watched die but it fully register when Ria called them on it.

"All right, what's important for me right now is to talk to Emily, so make him comfortable and give him some tea." Lightman told them with a wave of his hand before turning to walk away as Foster got up to follow.

Eli knew that tone and attitude. He was being dismissed and Lightman was using his worry over Emily to do it, to justify brushing Eli off to a corner of forgotten thought. Usually he might have logical reasoned that Emily of course should take priority over him but he was shaken, in pain and it was written all over both Lightman and Fosters face that Emily was only part of what plagued Lightman's thoughts. Ria saw it too but she understood less.

"No, No, No, You know something about that bomb or at least you think you do," Ria yelled after them, "I know that look!"

Ria turned back and looked helplessly at Eli but Eli was too busy getting angry at what he wasn't ready to acknowledge to be touched by her concern. He started to try to stand.

"Woe, woe. What do you think you're doing. You need to stay sitting," Ria told him panicky as she rush to his side and tried to get him to sit back down.

"They can't just walk away from me!" Eli told her as he shook her arm of him and finished standing showing her his determination to follow.

The walk to Lightman's office was slower than he would have liked but he was way too angry to regret the pain of moving. He would find out the truth no matter what the consequences. They had no right to keep things from him. He had been apart of this group for nine years which was even longer than Foster and he was no longer a kid. They had no right to just walk away from him. He startled momentarily as the lights came back on and without a single thought to courtesy Eli opened the door to storm in as gracefully as an injured self-indignant man could into the room.

"You can't just sit in here and talk about me," Eli yelled out a Ria tried to stop him but Lightman's look stopped him first. 

Their concerned conversation most definitely did not have anything to do with him so Eli walked over and turned on the TV in order to observe and let them continue their conversation which they did for a moment.

"Did, uh, Anna reach Emily yet?" Lightman asked Torres.

"No, no, she's still trying," Torres dutifully informed him.

"I can't just what Loker?" Lightman sarcastically asked as he finally directed his attention to Eli.

"You can't just walk away from me when anyone with half a brain knows that you both know something about that bomb, which by the way came this close to killing me," Eli told him with more defiance than he had ever mustered in the nine years working for Lightman.

The news chose that moment to release the name of the man he watched die, Mr. Andrews. A fossil fuel entrepreneur? Right... well that most definitely a lie even if Eli hadn't seen him in person. That was a really weak and obviously rushed cover. The look on both Foster and Lightman's face confirmed that they knew him.

"You do know that man," Torres said stating the obvious fact that Lightman and Foster were trying to avoid.

The Director of National Intelligence came on and started spinning that they didn't know who was responsibly but were using every resource to find out.

"That's a lie," Lightman told told the room bluntly.

"Ok, Lightman, we know you knew the victim. What else do you know," Torres asked and once again Eli was grateful for her asking the obvious questions that needed to be asked because he was close to losing it which would get nothing with Emily still missing.

"That man was killed by Jimmy Doyle. One of the most dangerous men I've ever come across," Lightman informed them.

"Doyle? Irish?" Eli questioned which earned a surprised look from Foster as it should because he recognized the named from seven years ago.

"Belfast," Lightman said confirming Eli's unspoken question seemingly not surprised that Eli remembered.

Seven years ago Eli helped Lightman gather research material on Belfast and a man named Doyle. It wasn't anything awe-inspiring or suspicious but a few months later Lightman changed and Foster entered their lives. Lightman group then started evolving from a small group of people who helped Lightman research and improve his theories to what it was today. Eli never knew what had happened to change Lightman but saw the fall out of his marriage falling apart and a hardening in his attitude. He remembered Doyle only because he reviewed the months preceding Foster joining for clues many times in his mind.

"You okay, Foster?" Torres asked at Foster slightly paling at Eli's question.

Foster just looked at her before trying to say convincingly, "Everything's fine."

"All right, the man that was killed by that bomb was not a fossil fuel entrepreneur. He was British Liaison for counter-terrorism at the pentagon and seven years ago he was my boss."

"Okay, who was he to you Foster.Did you work at the Pentagon too, or..." Foster's face answered Torres' question, "Oh my you did."

"Dad?" Emily's voice saved Foster from having to answer.

"Where have you been? I was worried sick," Lightman exclaimed as she hurried into the room to him.

"I was stuck out in the mess with everyone else," she told him as she went in for a hug, "What's going on?"

The relief Eli felt at seeing Emily safe was quickly overshadowed by his frustration with Lightman and Foster. Now that everyone could see she was safe he saw no reason to hold himself back anymore.

"That's what we all want to know," Eli told her ominously.

"Look, you know, I'm sorry about what you just went through," Lightman said but all his micro-expressions said the opposite and he wasn't even trying to hide it, "but right now I need a moment with my daughter. After that, I'll figure out how I'm going to use you guys on this. That's how it works, so end of conversation, all right?"

In a moment, just like that, something finally broke and clicked into place for him. Something he had been fighting with since he willingly posed as a criminal that a homicidal grief stricken man wanted dead in order to save Lightman and only got jokes about his demotion for his trouble. Eli had always half-hearted assured himself that Lightman was only softer and showed personal interest in females like Foster and Ria but his recent interest in Reynolds had cracked that delusion. Now he could see the truth clearly now. Lightman only cared how he could use Eli to benefit his agenda. He could care less Eli stood here asking questions instead of lying down stairs in the street dead. The Lightman he had inwardly sworn his loyalty to when they first met was gone and only indifference remained. 

"That was a conversation?" Eli spat out deflated yet he could feel his muscles tighten as the desire to physically lash out started to overwhelm him.

"Hey," Torres quickly made her way to his side and started guiding him away, "okay... alright."

Eli made himself breath and let her guide him out but he knew it wasn't alright, might have never been and might never be again.

~~~~

Olivia was getting frustrated at her partner's frustration. It wasn't her fault that the confession Elliot got out of the Reverend got thrown out. Yeah there slam dunk case just became a lot more work for them as they ran down financials and tried to trace down a blackmail trial and any other evidence of the Reverend's guilt. They found evidence of a love nest which in turn caused the wife to turn over a pretty incriminating voice recording of her husband and Richard. They confronted the Reverend and tried to get him to confess in order to save his family and church any further humiliation but he refused so they headed back to the station. Olivia was surprised when Elliot pulled in front of the station to drop her off instead of parking.

"Sorry Liv there is someone I want to talk to about this. Something just isn't sitting right with me," Elliot explained.

"Oh sure. I'll let the captain know. I'll see you later," Olivia told him before getting out of the car and heading inside. 

Once inside Olivia made her way straight to the captain's office to tell him before heading to her desk to work on paperwork. She had been working for about an hour when Fin walked in and called her into the break room. 

"I heard about this on the radio on my way in and thought you would want to see," Fin told her as he turned the TV on and flipped to find a good news channel. 

It was a story about a car bombing in Washington D.C.. Right in front of the Lightman Group's building. She stood and absorbed the info offered by the reporter before turning towards her desk to grab her phone.

"Thanks Fin," Olivia said as she passed him.

She picked up her phone and sent a hurried texted message before walking back to the break room to wait for a response. Thankfully he responded quickly to tell her he was fine but busy because of the bomb and wouldn't be able to talk to her until later. She didn't have much time to dwell on the short message because soon she received a call informing her there were shot fired at New Souls Church and that Reverend Curtis was down.

~~~~

Ria didn't let go of Eli's arm until they were safely back in the break room as if Eli might go storming back into Lightman's office. It was a pointless worry though since Eli knew he would get nothing else out of Lightman. He started to move away from her when his phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket to reveal a worried texted message from his sister. He texted back letting her know he was fine but busy because he was just too focused on what was going on at the moment to risk speaking to her. Eli ignored the pointedly curious look Ria gave him as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. 

"Look Eli Lightman is...." Ria started to say but stopped unable to complete the train of thought proving how bad the undercurrent must have been back in the office, "Foster... she and Lightman..."

"Torres... please stop. Believe me I know exactly what Lightman and Foster are doing. Which is badly covering their backsides. What I don't get is why they feel the need to shut everyone one else out. Look I got work to do. You should find something to do until Lightman needs something as well," Eli told her before quickly side stepping her and making his way to his desk.

Eli breathed a sigh of relief when he got to his desk without Ria following him. The last thing he needed was someone hovering asking questions or worse trying to talk him out of what he had determined to do. With expert ease he used his mouse to bring up the security cameras in order to track the whereabouts of Lightman and Foster and was more annoyed than surprised to find Lightman had already fled the building without a word. This suited him just fine anyways since he already had figured Foster was the more prime target if her constant guilt indicators were anything to go by. He spent the next 40 minutes just watching what she was doing on her computer before printing out some screen captures and heading to her office. When he got to her office she was still busily rereading e-mails from Mr. Andrews making it easy for him to take her by surprise.

"Porn? You are human," Eli said as he made it a point to acknowledge her guiltily closing her laptop.

"You seem to be making a speedy recovery," Gillian said without looking at him as she started fiddling with the things on her desk before finally trying to make eye contact. 

All of which were classic manipulators and a big sign of a guilty conscience. Gillian Foster might be one of the world's most leading psychologist and deception experts but she was definitely not a natural born liar. It was obvious to Eli that her main problem at the moment was a long time lie was coming undone around her and she could no longer keep up whatever facade she had been using perpetrate it. 

"What are you really working on there?" Eli probed in hopes she would just come clean before he called her on it because he knew that would be the best thing for her.

"Personal stuff. It's my personal laptop," Gillian evaded

"Personal stuff. In the middle of all this? That's what I call compartmentalization," Eli said calling her bluff as he walked to her desk, "Did they teach you that at the pentagon?"

"Can I help you with something, Eli?"

"Actually, you can...Gillian." Eli said her name to make sure she understood this was personal as he showed her the print outs.

"You hacked into-- You can't do that!" Gillian yelled as she stood indignant.

"In my sleep." Eli stated firmly without missing a beat and without a hint of backing down because he was done with being pushed aside and dismissed.

"Here's what I know. In 2003, you were at the Pentagon when Henry Andrews, the man whose blood I just cleaned off my face, ordered you to evaluate a member of his team, Dr. Cal Lightman. Who was acting irrationally and I quote, 'In danger of causing serious harm to ongoing counter-terrorism operations.' " 

Eli waited a beat to let what he said sink in before continuing, "It could have been worse... It could have been porn."

The look on Gillian face almost made that betrayal he was feeling at the moment worth it. Almost... but well you know not really. The secret of what brought Gillian into Lightman's life and ultimately into his for better or worse was now after seven years being brought out onto the table.

~~~~

"Lightman didn't believe the robbery-homicide story," Gillian explained as she showed him news clippings.

"You mean the Pentagon's cover up story," Eli retorted.

"Those two men were found guilty of the murders of Mary and Bernadette Doyle by their peers in a court of law," Gillian said detached.

"You know what I hear in that official, very un-Foster like speech pattern? Fear and doubt," Eli told her earning him a studied look.

"Lightman wanted to go public with what he believed was the real story."

"He wanted to blow the whistle on a botched Pentagon order hit?" Eli asked amazed.

"To prevent him from doing that or at least to discredit his mental state if he tried, his boss sent him to see me."

"His boss-- Henry Andrews-- the man who was killed in that car bomb," Eli stated once he took a seat, "Did Lightman ever blow the whistle?"

"His life was in serious danger," Gillian tried to justify.

"See, that doesn't sound like Lightman."

"A lot of what Lightman does these days is because of what... He didn't do back then," Gillian explained which made a lot of sense.

Eli never saw the work side of Lightman until after he stopped working solely for the government and Gillian joined as a partner to make the group a private firm. That made the personality change easier to justify and ignore at least in the way it personally pertained to himself but it always been there.

"So I was almost killed by a terrorist who is after Lightman," Eli stated more to prove a point to himself than anything.

Almost killed by a terrorist after Lightman and Eli was viewed in Lightman's eyes as an obstetrical and a tool rather than an innocent bystander. That was just... was.

~~~~~  
“So I was almost killed by a terrorist who is after Lightman” 

The sound of Eli’s voice stopped Emily in her tracks as she took a minute to absorb that information. Eli was almost killed by a guy trying to kill her dad. She saw he was injured and mad earlier but with her dad's fretting didn't really think about what that might mean. With the fact her dad’s face was all messed up and wasn't talking… again she really didn't have hope that Eli was exaggerating.

“Hey Gillian,” Emily said as she glided in the room very aware of the tense atmosphere in the room, “My dad needs to see you, seemed urgent.”

“Uh, right. Eli… we will continue this later. For now, rest, you still need to recover,” Gillian said detached. 

Emily watch Gillian walk out of the room before turning to see Eli sitting there for a minute clearly unhappy and brooding before he stood and walked out of the room without acknowledging her. Worried Emily hurried to catch up annoyed at his wide stride.

“Hey are you okay? Eli!” she said as she reached out to tug the sleeve but accidentally bumping his injuries arm.

“Yeah Emily. I'm fine,” he said with a flinch, turning to her.

“Don’t lie. You promised me remember? No hiding thing in the name of protecting me. I'm not a kid,” Emily proclaimed because he had back at Christmas when they were waiting for Lightman to return from Afghanistan.

Eli looked miserable, “I know. I'm sorry. I just can't, okay? I'm not fine. Please understand I just can't be the one to explain things right now.”

Deciding to go with instinct, “Not even about Doyle,” Emily questioned making Eli eyes go wide. 

“How do you know that name?” Eli snapped.

“I just meet him. He came in with my dad, who looks like he's been in a bar fight,” Emily replied growing confused at the unusual expression on his face.

“He’s here?!” 

“Yeah they headed to the labs… what's going on?” Emily asked as he quickly walked off leaving her in the middle of the hallway.

Emily slowly followed behind until she reached Eli’s desk and looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing, “You're following my dad on the camera feeds?”

“What are you going to tell on me or do you want answers?” Eli said as he reached for his ear phones obviously to keep her from hearing what was being said. “Not like he is going to let me walk in there and find out what's going on.”

“Who am I to stop you? I'm not even supposed to be here anyways.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily's convenient answer brought a small smile to Eli’s lips that quickly vanished as he started listening to the audio.

“Whatever it is that you are hiding. I forgive you,” Lightman meant that too. It was clear all over his face.

“I have never hidden anything from you, Cal. Let it go,” There was obvious fear maybe more closer to terror in every word. Her true feelings written across her face. Eli felt like a voyeur but the feeling of betrayal was stronger.

“Why don't you ask Doyle about Andrews. ‘cause I've always valued your opinion,” Eli switched to the camera in the box long quick enough to catch the end of the introductions.

“What are you making him do?” Contempt 

“I just need to find my wife and daughter's killer” determination.

“To avenge them? Are you prepared to hunt and kill another man? I don't believe that. Even if he has a gun to your head. “ Foster said to Doyle though her words were direct towards Lightman.

“You know seven years ago I helped murder this man's wife and child and now I would like to know exactly who it was I helped,” regret and contempt.

“Why now?” Foster asked not taking her eyes off Doyle.

“Why now what?” 

“Kill Andrews?”

“I didn't kill Andrews. I just talked to the man.” Doyle said and from Lightman and Fosters reaction Eli knew it was true. 

It was enough for now. Lightman was battling his own demons and Eli could conceded that finding the bomber and the man responsible for the murder of Doyle's family overshadowed anything he might be feeling. 

“Your dad is just helping him out. There's nothing to worry about I'm sure he will figure out who's responsible and you guys will be on a plane to Berkeley in no time.”

“Really?” Emily asked wanting it to be true.

“Yeah why don't you go hang out in your dad's office or go check in with Torres,” Eli told her and was grateful when she just took the hint without any problem.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lightman, Foster and Doyle left shortly after and Eli didn't hear from them for a couple hours until he received a call from Lightman telling him to grab Ria to analyze a press conference that he and Foster planned to crash. On national television no less which was well... awesome. Both Eli and Ria quickly saw why this was their task as they identified a man with obvious character issues. 

It was eerily easy to fall into work mode and push all his troubled feeling into the box he affectionately labeled 'deal with it...later'. That box was to be put on a forgotten shelf in the back next to daddy issues to hopefully be lost in the recesses of his mind. At least that was his hope until he was left with a minute to himself, but hey denial was a beautiful place this time of year and it allowed him to do his job. 

Soon, very soon actually, Lightman was walking in with the man from the press conference. You had to love having FBI resources like helicopters at your disposal. Eli got comfortable in his favorite chair and brought up all his programs that he would need for monitoring as Ria watched the interview and waited to step into the box on cue to deliver the phone. After Doyle made himself known on the phone Eli stood and just watched the show as Lightman and Foster accused him of ordering a hit on Doyle, blotching it, and ending up killing an innocent woman and child, and then killing a British consultant to protect himself. The man could barely contain himself much less successfully lie so he confessed and gave up someone code named Finch which allowed Doyle the chance to face the man who murdered his wife and child. 

When it was finally over Eli walked out without a word unable to continue pushing his turmoil to the back of his mind. He knew he probably should just go home and sleep the weekend away until he could properly file what he learn today away and go back to how thing were but he found himself heading to his car and just sitting vacantly in his seat. He was just so empty and spent. He didn't think this was something he could come up with a convincing enough lie to fed himself to fix what had been broken, the trust that was lost. After a few more moments he started his car and pulled out of the parking garage and started to drive. Going back to his apartment being the furthest thing from his mind.


	6. Chapter 5: Turning Point: Repair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the care that can make the difference, that makes it family.

The Making of Family: Kinship

 

Chapter 5: Turning Point: Repair

 

Olivia sighed with relief as the elevator door opened to reveal her floor. She was glad to be done with her current case. First the evidence led them to believe it was Reverend Curtis who had the affair with Richard and killed him, but then the wife shot Curtis. This opened a new line of thinking which lead them to find out it was the son who had the affair. Then it turned out to be the assistant who murdered Richard which made the whole case sink to a whole new level of tragic pointlessness. The only thing she wanted to do now was to talk to Eli and find out about the bomb that went off in front of the Lightman Group. His text said he was okay which logically she knew should be enough but after spending a couple weeks in open contact, her little brother's distance worried her.

 

Presently, Olivia gave an exasperated sigh when she saw someone sitting on the floor by her door and made a mental note to speak with the doorman once again about the lapse in security. These thoughts quickly left her mind as she got a closer look at who it was. Eli was sitting there with his knees pulled up to his chest. Her blood started racing when he looked up at her and she saw the condition of his face. Eli's face was covered in cuts and some were showing signs of infection.

 

"Eli your face!" She exclaimed as she knelt down to get a better look at him.

 

"I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I hope it's not to creepy I just couldn't stay there but I really have nowhere else to go. I just couldn't...I guess I needed an escape," Eli rambled obviously nervous at the thought of not being welcomed.

 

"It's okay, let's get you inside. Have you been out here long?" Olivia asked as she gently helped him to his feet and opened her door to guide him inside.

 

"A couple hours," Eli answered as he scanned the inside of her apartment, "I'm sorry that..."

 

"Nothing to be sorry for," Olivia cut in as she took her jacket off and emptied her pockets, "You could have called me and I would have called the landlord to let you in."

 

"Is this from the bomb?" she questioned as she walked closer and raise a hand to his face, heart clenching.

 

"I was right there...I saw the guy...I just spoke to him and then he was dead... I could have been killed Olivia and it was just an annoyance," Eli told her as he moved away and flopped defeated on her couch.

 

Olivia was confused as her mind tried to play catch up, "An annoyance to who?"

 

"Lightman," that one word spoke volumes of betrayal that her brother was obviously feeling.

 

While Olivia wanted details on the bombing itself and the terrorist she knew that it could wait. That one word was overflowing with betrayal and sadness and it was coupled with a look in his eyes that was something she unfortunately encountered a lot in her work. Something had broke today and she knew it was the main reason her brother drove all the way to New York to see her. He needed someone to put him together again.

 

"I know that look Eli. I've seen it more than enough over the years, heard that tone," Olivia told him after she grabbed her first aid kit from her kitchen.

 

"And what would that be?" Eli asked. His eyes begging for her to get it right.

 

"Defeated, broken. Did Lightman have something to do with the bomb today?" Olivia asked as she started dabbing antiseptic into the cuts, some she could see should have had stitched. 

 

"No, well yes actually but that's not... well... what this is..." Eli said while using his hand to wave at himself, "or rather it was the catalyst... maybe...it's just that...it's just... have I told you yet how I meet him in the first place?"

 

Olivia shook her head no, "Cal Lightman has always meant hope or something to me. In a weird mostly twist way granted but well I was only seventeen when he first barged into my life. He changed everything... I mean opened doors I didn't even know existed, expanded my horizons in ways I could never have imagined. He took something that was so deeply embedded in my core that I only knew how to use to self destruct and showed me that there was something to be made out of it."

 

_The day was sunny and pleasant for that time of year in New York not that the boy, who was about to be beaten down by a much older and very angry jock, noticed at the moment. He was too busy thinking that maybe his last comment may have hit too close to home but it wasn't like he was going to take it back. That was the point of radical honest after all, to say the truth even when the reality of the situation was the truth was going to get his face kicked in._

 

_Thankfully, some professors and security guards decided to walk by and disperse the crowd successfully diffusing the situation. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth Eli decided not to press his luck and quickly gathered his book and folder that had been knocked out of his hand earlier and made a beeline for the library. That was until a voice quickly derailed his plan as he tried to leave the area._

 

_"Now that was just blinding, mate. My wife among many tells me I have a way of getting under people's skin but you well... you just nailed that guy without even trying," exclaimed a short older man with a obvious British accent, "so what do you call that now Loker?"_

 

_"Radical honest?" Eli answered automatically but shifted himself defensively, "who are you and how you know my name?"_

 

_"Oh I know plenty about you boy and now that I got to see you in action I know I can definitely make use of you," the man said while giving Eli a noticeable once over officially making him uncomfortable._

 

_"Okay... creepy old guy... I will be going this way now," Eli said while gesturing toward the path to the library, "and you will be going another."_

 

_Eli took off walking but the man just fell in step with him, with a little difficulty he noticed smugly, "I will have you know I am not old!"_

 

_"This you defend? And yes you are. You're over 30 aren't you and considering I'm not even legal yet that makes you old and creepy, " Eli said as he tried to pick up his pace while making sure not to look at the man._

 

_"Okay relatively speaking I guess I can give you that one and I will have you know you are not the first person to call me creepy... this week in fact."_

 

_"Right..." Eli stopped and stared the man down as he tried to decide if security would hear him yell for them._

 

_"Dr. Zimmer!" The man exclaimed with his hands in pacifying gesture as if that was the answer to everything, which of course wasn't because everyone knew that answer was 42._

 

_"Excuse me? What does she.." Eli started_

 

_"Your Professor sent me out here to find you. She is an old friend of mine from University days. We meet when she spent a semester abroad at Oxford. I came here to ask her a favor. You see I need a research assistant and she has a similar field of study. When I asked her your name was the first to come to mind and thanks to that little display back there I now know why," the man finally explained._

 

_Eli turned and started walking again in a different direction, "Let's move this to Dr. Zimmers office then. Mr..."_

 

_"Not very trusting are we? Good. Dr. Cal Lightman," Lightman said as he extended a hand and shook Eli's before taking control of their walk._

 

_"Of creepy old men who randomly walk up to young men offering them suspicious work? No I'm not. So you'll forgive me if I want to confirm you know my professor. But since you're here what kind of work," Eli couldn't help asking._

 

_"You would be helping me research truth... or lies... I guess it depends on how you want to look at it. Look it will take a while to explain and will go easier to just show you but working for me will count towards your practicals and I'm flexible with hours if you can be ..."_

 

"From then on Lightman just welcomed me into his home and I mean literally. His lab was his converted garage. There were others who worked with him too but they left after the first couple years and well he just treated me differently. Probably because of my age but he encouraged me and taught me the science. It didn't end there either. I was always invited to dinner with his family and Emily always did her homework on either the corner my or her father desk," Eli explained with a small smile on his face as he was caught up in the memories.

 

"A father figure," Olivia stated as she tried not to pass judgments.

 

"I doubt he ever saw it that way but yes I will admit that. He was the first man to come into my life that had anything in their character I wanted.... I mean if you could just see the way he is with Emily, back then and now... it just made my heart burn and for the first time I felt... well the only word I can think of right now is safe. The way he is with Emily has always, even right now after all that has happen today, shown me that under all the arrogance and jadedness Lightman is a good, decent, truth seeking man. A man I could follow and put my efforts, talents, and desire for truth into helping succeed, no matter the venture..."

 

"There is a lot of present tense as if you are trying to believe what you saw is still there," Olivia noted as she finished applying the last butterfly bandage.

 

"I was willing to risk taking a bullet for him, Olivia. Just because I could stand the thought of losing him,” at his sister's horrified face he pulled himself back on track, “not today, before we meet actually long story. Where was I?”

 

“The first two years I worked for Lightman, Lightman and his family almost made me feel like I was a Lightman. The last seven...well let's just say I've spent a lot of nights wishing for the first two," Eli stood and started pacing the room.

 

"What changed?" Olivia asked letting the rabbit trail go til later.

 

"See... that was what I never understood or accepted," Eli told her as he turned to face her and started gesturing as he talked, "Lightman's actual job was with the government. What I was apart of was what he did to continue perfecting and advancing the science he pioneered but the group in truth was closer to being Lightman's hobby. We did help him some on his work though it was limited considering none of us but Lightman had security clearance. Anyways one day he left for Washington on an assignment and three weeks later when he came back he was not the same man."

 

"He really changed that much?" Olivia questioned.

 

"Yes, his marriage fell apart quickly after that. I mean they always had their share of fight and such but suddenly it was like Lightman wasn't all there anymore to work through them. He stopped inviting me to dinner and well treating me fatherly for a lack of a better word. A couple weeks after that trip he added Foster into our lives and he was no longer solely working for the government rather working on starting a private firm. The weird thing about that time was during all this he managed to write and sell a book, don't ask me how, but along with withdrawing he became snide and harsh with all the staff. Everyone but me eventually left that year. After I graduated we moved to Washington."

 

"You said you didn't understand does that mean you do now?" Olivia asked as she straightened up to focus more fully on observing her brother.

 

"Yes, I do," So Eli proceeded to explain what all that happened that day. He left nothing out. Every detail and every emotion he let himself lay bare before the only person he had every felt connected enough to, to even dare try. The anger at Lightman for not even pretending to feel the way Eli wished he did to the jealousy and contempt he felt for Foster for being apart of the horrifying events that were responsible for changing Lightman but still managing to be one of the most important things in Lightman life right after Emily and Zoe. 

 

"I never let myself think about the way he treats me because like I've said I know deep down there is a good man but I can't lie to myself anymore. He loves Emily and he cares about some who work at Lightman group and I mean Foster and Ria but he does not care about me. I might be inclined to say he hates me but that would imply I cross his thought for something other than my usefulness but the truth is I don't think I'm even on his radar. I just don't matter to him anymore and I can't even blame it on my mistake because he hasn't cared for a long time. Only difference is he now has Ria to replace me with. Who he does try to be a father figure too but she is his protegee after all," Eli stopped as if a thought occurred to him.

 

"What?" Olivia questioned unsure as Eli turned thoughtful eyes on her before sitting on the couch across from her.

 

"Its nothing just thank you," Eli told her tiredly.

 

"Your welcome I guess but I haven't done anything. I've hardly said anything," Olivia told him as she wished she could say something to ease the hurt he was feeling but she was too angry at the moment to try.

 

"You let me in your home and listened to me rant even though you worked all day," Eli told her sincerely, "and the best part is that I don't have to wonder why you did because it is written all over your face. I don't deserve to have someone angry for me, Olivia, but I thank you for caring enough to take my side."

 

Olivia took a moment to assure herself that he read her because he was suppose to be an expert not because she was obvious before deciding to vent her thoughts. This was something that had been nagging at her and steadily growing since she meet her brother. She did care for him, a great deal in fact which scared her but if they were going to be a family they were going to have to learn to fight like one and still get along. She has spent too many years as a detective not to know she would receive resistance no matter how obvious her request should be to him.

 

She turned to face him and looked him straight in the eye, "Eli you need to quit and walk away from the Lightman Group."

 

"Olivia..."

 

"No hear me out. As you have yourself said not ten minutes ago Lightman doesn't care about you and frankly he is taking advantage of you. You have spoke of many things this last couple weeks that sound board line abusive not to mention he hasn't even paid you in a year. I know you have been with him a long time and he is important to you but I think you need to walk away," she told him firmly.

 

"Olivia I thank you for your concern but I can't do that. You just don't understand," Eli told her steadily and calmly.            

 

"As I said that day I meet Lightman changed everything. I mean at the time I was already going for a degree in individual studies because I wanted to study truth. Radical honesty came out of my own research on the matter long before I met Lightman. There really is no degree for that or practical application but I didn't care. I just took whatever classes I thought would help me understand better, psychology, sociology, criminal justice you name it. Then Lightman showed me what I could be. Everything I study from then on was for the purpose of fitting into Lightman group. I started taking computer courses and several other seemingly random things to be better equipped in serving the Lightman Group as a researcher. When I graduated I became a full time employee and when he left New York for D.C. I followed him. It wasn't only because of the whole human lie detector thing either. I knew deep down under all that arrogant pathology he was a good decent man that would never sacrifice truth for anything or anyone I mean look what he just did for a known terrorist who deserved justice? There is a reason for what i believe and what i am doing in my life and when all's said and done Lightman group is the best chance i have at accomplishing what I have spent a great majority of my life on. I can't really put it into words but I can't leave...I won't leave. Besides now that I know the truth I'm no longer blindly emotionally invested. I can just do my job. Beside my skill set is not exactly transferable. I have nowhere else to go, at least nowhere I would want to go," Eli tried to sell this as confident but the effect was ruined when he yawned.

 

"Okay well we can discuss this more in the morning. I'll get you some bedding. The couch pulls out into a bed."

 

~~~~~

 

Eli examined the chicken that was in the pan he was holding trying to determine if he forgot any seasoning before opening the oven door and sliding the pan in. After setting the timer Eli turned to the counter and started chopping up bell peppers and onions in preparation to make omelets. Falling into a steady rhythm Eli let his mind wander back yet once again to the events of yesterday.

 

Yesterday had been horrible and testing but at the same time surprisingly freeing. He felt like weights he hadn't even realized he was carrying on his back had been striped away leaving him lighter and with clearer vision. Now this might seem strange to anyone who knew him if one didn't consider the timing in his life. If yesterday had happened a month ago, all the events and discoveries, it probably would have sent him running to his covers where he would have hid until he could fall back into his state of denial and continue on until he completely self destructed. Today was different though because today he was not alone. He had completely let himself fall apart and Olivia had helped him vent and sort out the mess in his head until he got a proper perspective on the whole thing. He knew now he could continue on with his ambitions without the weight of blind loyalty and masochism that he knew went with it or at the very least he had to try. He would never admit it to anyone not even Olivia but he couldn't help but feel he owed Lightman that much even if he never saw or cared about his reasons.

 

"Hey what is that wonderful smell? And how is it coming out of my kitchen? You cook?" Olivia asked as she came out of her bedroom. 

 

"Omelet?" Eli answered as he picked up his egg mixture to show her.

 

"Yes please but how? I know I didn't have much in the refrigerator," Olivia said as she sat at the counter and watched Eli cook.

 

"That's the understatement of the year. Are you sure you actually live here? I made a trip to the store this morning in a state of near panic once I finished snooping around," Eli told he as he pointed his spatula at her.

 

"Hey it's not that bad," Olivia told him trying to sound indignant.

 

"Oh yes it is. When a fridge only has orange juice and coffee creamer in it, it is a sure sign my sister is trying to put herself in a early grave by eating take out all the time," Eli served Olivia her omelet with a flourish as if to emphasize his point.

 

"I know there is more in there then orange juice and coffee creamer... Oh this is good," Olivia tried to argue as she took a bit.

 

"You mean the out of date condiments and salad dressing? I threw those out by the way," Eli told her as he started doing some dishes.

 

Olivia took a minute to eat in silence before asking a question that she had since walking into the room, "What else are you doing in here. I know all those pots are not just for the omelets.

 

"Oh that is going to become a month worth of individual sized lunches and dinners for you." Seeing her confusion he showed her his stack of container and continued, "See once it is done I will portion it out into these handy containers and freeze them. They can last up to three months and all you have to do is pull them out and microwave it for a few minutes."

 

"Why would you go to all that trouble?" Olivia asked touched.

 

Eli reached over and opened a drawer full of takeout menus and just looked at her for a moment, "I'm not saying you have to completely stop eating out and i know you are super busy so this way you can eat healthy home cooked meals without the hassle. I do this for myself when I have a free day. Its health and economical and from what I'm cooking here I can make four different yet similar dishes for variety."

 

"Well thank you. If it is as half as good as this omelet then I can't wait to dig into them, but you have to let me help and show me how you do it. I'm a terrible cook you know. After we should go catch a movie," Olivia said as she got of her stool and walked into the kitchen.

 

"Sounds good and on the way back we can stop by the store for dinner tonight. I'll make you whatever you want." 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was late Saturday afternoon and Eli was spending his time moving and vacuuming under furniture. Olivia had left a little over an hour ago to pop in at the station before running a few errands leaving Eli left to his own devices. The apartment was by no means messy. In fact even the piles of clothes at at bottom of Olivia's closet seemed to have an order but Eli couldn't help notice the collection of dust that had gathered that spoke of the fact that Olivia didn't spend much time at home. Maybe he just lived the life of the neat freak roommate for too long but he wanted to help his sister out in any way big or small that he could.

 

Finishing the task, Eli started to put the vacuum away when he felt his phone start to vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and was surprised to see that it was Foster. Contemplating Eli helplessly scan the room as he quickly try to decide what to do. For all his mental breakthroughs he knew he might have trouble controlling his tongue if she tried to play off everything as normal over a work call. Knowing hiding wasn't going to help anything since he would be dealing with her Monday anyways he hit send before putting it up to his ear.

 

"Hello."

 

"Eli, it's Gillian. Are you free to talk right now?" Foster asked.

 

"Yeah I'm not doing anything at the moment. What do you need? Something for work?" Eli asked knowing full well by her voice that this was no work call.

 

"No, no nothing like that. I...ah...I'm just calling to see how you are doing. If you are okay," Foster said slightly slurred.

 

"Foster are you drunk?" Eli asked unbelieving.

 

"Of course not I just haven't slept since before....but that is besides the point. Are you okay?"

 

"I'm perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Eli asked somewhere between suspicion and sarcastic. 

 

Gillian let out a deep sigh, "That's what I would like to know because the Loker I know would never hack my personal computer and spy on me."

 

"Look Foster I'm not going to apolo..." Eli started.

 

"Gillian," Gillian stated.

 

"Excuse me?" Eli asked not sure he was following.

 

"Eli you have known me for seven years I think you can call me Gillian," she said forcefully, "and not only to make a point."

 

"Yes because we are such close friends," Eli replied not bothering to hide his bitterness.

 

"Look I'm sorry. You are obviously still angry about yesterday..." Gillian tried to cajole. 

 

"Really?" Eli spat and started pacing not noticing Olivia's return, "What inflection of my voice gave that away? Or is it simply the years of studying psychology or maybe a little thing like common sense that maybe clued you into the fact that I don't just hang around the Lightman group to add character to the background? That maybe being dismissed and lied to by two people who are on a very short list of people I thought I could respect and possible trust feels a whole lot like betrayal? I'm not angry Gillian I'm devastated to realize that after all I have put into this company I don't....I mean all the work I do doesn't mean a thing to either of you."

 

"It does matter!" Gillian exclaimed with a frustrated sigh, "Look, Eli I didn't call to pick a fight."

 

"Why did you call, Gillian?"

 

"To see if you were okay. Look the truth is I have been doing a lot of thinking about the last few years and I need to admit to you I'm ashamed. I lied to Cal in order to keep him and his family safe and after all that's happened I still stand by that decision because as we both are fully aware he would not have backed down. What I was not prepared for was the collateral damage," Gillian confessed.

 

"Collateral damage? All lies have consequences. You of all people know that," Eli said firmly.

 

"I know I just never stopped to consider that part of the damage was my relationship with you," Gillian explained.

 

"With me?"

 

"Yes, when I first met you, you were a mouthy kid with a major chip on his shoulder. I never actually expect you to stay around with the changes Cal and I were making. Everyone else left and I expected you to do the same once you graduated but instead you moved to Washington with us," Eli smiled at the truth of the statement, "That kid I first meet adored Cal and was pretty impressed with the way I quickly adopted the science and would never had thought of arguing or defying either of us much less hacking our personal files."

 

"I'm not a kid anymore and truth is I doubt I was much of one back then either I was 19, you know," Eli informed her.

 

"You grew up from a mouthy kid with a chip to a mouthy adult and I have been realizing I don't know anything more about you now then I did back then. For all your talking and radical honesty I don't know a thing," Gillian continued, ignoring him, "I don't know anything about what caused that chip, or anything substantial about your family, or even why you didn't just quit yesterday. I'm a psychologist and I'm suppose to help people but instead I ignored one person right in front of me that looking back I realize could have used that help because I was too busy trying to remain unattached so I could carry that lie properly and I'm sorry."

 

"Gillian," Eli said softly not sure what to do with her self discovery.

 

"I want to know and I know it's selfish of me but I would like a chance to learn about you. To become friends and understand why you didn't obey me and then lied about it. Why you stuck around after and more. I want a chance to do things right," Gillian implored.

 

"You don't need permission to be my friend Gillian. You already are. Actions speak louder than words and we can start over Monday if that is really what you want. Okay so get some sleep and I will see you in a couple days."

 

"Okay I'll see you Monday," Gillian said relieved that she been understood and hung up.

 

"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked from where she seated herself on the coach making Eli jump.

 

"How long have you been there?" Eli question bringing a hand to his chest.

 

"Awhile, so is everything okay?" Olivia asked smirking.

 

"Geez woman you are like part ninja or something? But to answer everything is more than okay," Eli answer knowing it was the truth, "So did you pick up a movie?" 

 


	7. Chapter 6: Change Blindness: The Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When people change it can be easy to miss and hard to accept. Then again maybe its a matter of not having understood to begin with.

The Making of Family: Kinship

Chapter 6: Change Blindness: The start

After a relaxing weekend with his sister Monday came way too soon but it was like a new start. The first thing he let go of was dressing more professional and of his usual casual preppy look for the time being. He instead chose to be comfortable in a long sleeve button up green flannel shirt and pants. He then purposely took his time to enjoy being outside while strolling to work though still managed to get there five minutes early. By the time the others showed up he was fully immersed in gathering and setting up the equipment that would be needed that day to record and track the Musso murder trial. 

Frustratingly, things would have seemed normal if Lightman would stop giving him once overs as if he surprised to see Eli there, making Eli uncomfortable. This annoyed Eli as it was Lightman who texted him instructions last night on the case and what they would be taking for the DA's office as if nothing had happened. He had expected either it to be ignored or exaggerated not both and had to take a breath to steady himself before giving Lightman a slightly forced smile and asking if Anna was already at the courthouse in preparation for the ambush. 

Fortunately, the rest of the morning went on pretty much like normal as everyone gathered to watch and analyze Mrs. Musso walk into the courthouse with Zoe of all people. Why was he not surprised that Lightman had chosen to leave that part out? Despite Lightman, Eli was quite pleased with getting a chance to study the jury. Ria on the other hand was not. Ria couldn't be blamed though considering she was a natural which meant hands on. While Eli was and would always be a researcher. The data he was gathering had potential to progress a few different side projects he was working on. A perfect distraction to dive into his job and limited his interaction with Lightman as he was still nearby.

The freedom he felt from his new perspective and working on a case he enjoyed gave him confidence to be more openly flirty and playful with Ria. Which felt more intense and intimate than the the early days when Ria first joined. He also learned some interesting detail about Ria and the knowledge that the most satisfying marriages supposedly were when the man was five years older than the wife. Something to file away for later in case he found himself in the position of considering marrying a younger woman. A fact he sadly thought lowered his chances with her.

Despite his newfound fun Eli couldn't help but notice Lightman's behavior seemed to go even colder. He kept giving Eli studied looks and doing non-verbal things like making Eli move so he could close his study door to keep Eli from looking inside even though he had been in there hundreds of time before.

Lightman of course also put on a pretty entertaining show in the courtroom because Lightman would always be the most entertaining anywhere Zoe was concerned. One of the fringe benefits Eli would always cherish was Lightman's effect on people, ex-wife or not. Oh and they got to prove a woman's innocent and tick off the DA's office in the process. All in a day's work at the Lightman group, he so love his job.

Their next case was helping a soldier who was having trouble readjusting to civilian life with PTSD. One of the bonuses of this case was Foster got to play with her pet VR project. Eli did not mind assisting her on the project. The technology was interesting and he had a big hand in helping her spend the DOP grant to build it. It was so much easier to work with her now that they had been truthful about the past. He could admit part of him going against her and losing their clients retirement money was from resentment of her coming in and becoming his boss while negating what he said or did in Lightman's eyes. At least the part that kept him from coming to her and explaining his concerns about the situation. He had even taken the time to buy Foster a smoothie and finish talking things over with her to clear the air of what had been between them resulting over his mistake and her handling of the Doyle situation. 

So things were going good for him. Better, in fact, than he had originally hoped when it came to Foster and Ria. In all the years he had worked with them he never felt closer to either. Lightman on the other hand was exceeding his expectations in the other direction. He knew Lightman would be difficult but he was not prepared for the turn things had taken. Instead of his usual straight out belittling ways he had taken to watching Eli at awkward moments and pretty much avoiding Eli at others. It finally came to a bit of a head though during a case where they were trying to get a reading off a quadriplegic cop in order to help the police figure out what happen to him. 

Clara Musso, the widow they had proven didn't kill her husband, was following Lightman around like a seductive little puppy. She did this in hopes of learning in a few days something most people either spent years studying or was born with, usually a combination of both. At first she tagged along with them to the interview but then made herself useful in getting the wife and daughter to leave. Assignments like these were always hard on him. Filming and analyzing someone he knew was going to be dead soon, seeing the guys wife and kid balancing on the edge of grief and despair, it was heartbreaking. 

The 'line up' went as well as expected, with only eye dilation to go on as a sign of recognition of the juvenile suspects. Both Lightman and Eli knew that the real answers would come from the review of the tape that would focus on the others in the room. When they were done Eli packed up the equipment and followed Lightman out of the hospital room. 

"Okay, I want you to head back to the office and hand over the recording to Foster for analysis," Lightman told him suddenly out of nowhere as he turned to face Eli.

"Uh why? You're kidding right? I can start as soon as I get there and I'm much faster so it could be ready by the time you and Miss tag along get..." Eli tried to argue

"No you will hand it over to Foster. I want you to start researching lowland gorillas."

"Excuse me? Lowland gorillas? Why would you..." Eli asked completely confused by this demand.

"I hired you to be a researcher not a front line assistant like Foster and Torres and I want you to do the job I pay you for and research lowland gorillas."

Eli couldn't count how many things were wrong with that statement, "Okay for one you don't pay me, remember? For two I'm not seeing the point unless you have suddenly developed an interest in the civil war in the Congo or HIV research."

"Oh you get paid exactly what your worth and when did this turn into the Loker group? I'm your boss and you will do what I tell you exactly as I tell it. Besides how is this any different then from when you did all that research on the monkey kingdom?" Lightman said completely condescending.

Eli just raised his eyebrows and refused to let himself get angry, "Yeah like I did that research just for fun without a specific point and if you're talking about my chimpanzee research, that was a request from you because that Daniel guy challenged you at a conference about the universal-ness of your science. Which by the way I spent six months on and you didn't even bother to read before having me mail my results to Daniels. So forgive me if I don't understand your sudden interest in lowland gorillas. Which by the way I need to understand so I know what I'm looking for."

"Aggression, leadership, mating, the usual suspects and Loker this will be your top priority or you can just stop coming period. Do I make myself clear?" Lightman asked with a stare that left no room for misinterpretation.

"Look if you want want me out of the way so you can play teacher uninterrupted all you gotta do is ask. No need for the fool's errand," Eli said defiantly. 

"Excuse me?" Lightman asked indignantly.

"Oh like she isn't the blond flavor of the month. I can see right through you but whatever the joke's on you. You don't want me directing my time on this case fine. As you said you are the boss man but I have no objection adding another layer to my research," Eli answered as he started to walk away.

"Directly to Foster..." Lightman yelled out one last time before rocking on his heels and walking off in the other direction to go find Clara Musso.

"Yeah because Foster is the one who needs to see you acting like this," Eli said more to himself then Lightman's retreating back.

~~~~~~~

Eli followed Lightman's instructions as soon as he entered the office, well almost to the letter. He took the time to upload the video and set up the programs that Gillian would need to use before heading to the library and pulling any and all source material he could get his hands on about lowland gorillas. Having missed all the excitement of the case and the police's treatment of Emily so Eli had to hear later about how Clara Musso tricked her way into becoming a controlling interest in the Lightman group. Oh how Eli wish he could have seen her out maneuver Lightman but any joy he might have gotten from that fact was quickly overshadowed by the realization that once again an outsider now had more control over Lightman's group then he did.

Afterwards, much to Eli's disbelief, things got even weirder, which was really saying something considering for who and where he worked. He couldn't even bring himself to talk to his sister about it since she was already having a hard time accepting why he continued working with the Lightman Group in the first place and these events would just add gas on that building fire. Eli could only blame himself though for hitting a nerve or something with his comments at the hospital. He really wish he knew which one was the landmine so he could avoid it in the future because Lightman almost seemed possessed in interfering with Eli's work, completely bent on making Eli only research lowland gorillas. Like he was trying to make Eli eat his words. Lightman even went as far as to clear his desk of anything he tried to work on and personally give it to others in the research team. 

This got tiresome pretty quick because there was only a couple hours worktops that he could do on a live gorilla study in a single day. Leaving him with nothing to do but stare at the work he knew needed to get done. By the end of the second day Eli was fed up and went into Gillian's office to reduce his hours for the time being as he waited for whatever ego trip Lightman was on to ride it course. He had better thing to do then sit there all day when he had a paying job where finals were coming up fast. Thus the two o'clock sun was greeted by the unusual sight of Eli in a Tee shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes getting off his bike to enter the youth center he worked at. 

"Hey Eli! We already have a few students set up in study room C waiting for you. Seems word of you being free to tutor has gotten around but make sure you say hi to DJ first I think he has some news he wants share with you," Debra, a pleasant brunette in her mid-forties, greeted him.

"Really? Okay, I bet it is the results of DJ's last math test he really has a good head with numbers," Eli told her as he grabbed his badge and clip board from her as he headed to the study room.

Eli strolled into the room to find four boys and four girls chatting as they waited, "Okay boys and girls I'm glad to see you all are taking the approaching finals so seriously. I will be with you in a moment so if you are not already set up please do so now. DJ may I have a word?"

Once outside Eli turned and gave the teenager his full attention. DJ was one of his regulars and often came to Eli for tutoring help. His father was in prison for assaulting a guy over a bad drug buy and his mom worked three jobs just to support DJ and pay off the massive debt the deadbeat dad had left behind. Despite all of this DJ was starting to break out of the bad crowd he grew up with and make something of himself. Eli completely understood where the kid was coming from at least emotionally even though his personal situation was a bit different. Eli really wanted to see the kid succeed. 

"Debra said you wanted to show me something?"

"Yeah this," the boy said as he handed him a paper with a perfect score on it, "and also this."

Eli gave an impressed whistle as he was handed the test but his eyebrows went up as he looked down at a scholarship brochure, "What's this?"

"A sports scholarship, my coach said I could have good chance at qualifying if my grades are acceptable this semester," DJ told him with a mischievous smile that made Eli weary.

"Okay what's the score. I know your grades completely sucked when you started coming in here."

"I need to score pretty high on all my finals to make it," DJ told him as he pulled out a list of his current grades and what he needed to make on each final to qualify for the scholarship.

"Wow you aren't kidding. Well at least we got math pretty much covered already. It will be hard but it is doable if you are willing to put in the work over the next three weeks," Eli told him as he studied the boy to determine is he was willing to do the work.

"You know I'm willing. What kind of work are we talking about?" DJ asked.

"First you are going to have to start coming in more often... even when I'm not around... for tutoring, any free time you have be through those doors. Also I have some great study tools and methods I will teach you when I'm here that you can use when you are at home. You won't have much of a life but hey that's what summer break is for right?" Eli told him as he patted his shoulder and headed back into the room.

When he got into the room he went over to the first girl, who's name was Jenny, to see what she needed help with, "Okay anyone else struggling with U.S. history, Mrs. Wilson's class?"

Every hand including DJ's went up, "Wow okay Mrs. Wilson. Well that makes it easier. I'll just use the board and work with all of you at the same time. First off does anyone have a book I can borrow?"

~~~~~~~~

"So you are really going to do it?" Elliot said skeptically from the driver side of the car.

"Yes, and why are you saying it like that?" Olivia asked with a little offended huff.

"You have only been talking about it for what two months? I mean come on if you were going to do it you would have done it by now," Elliot told her bluntly.

"You make it sound like I have had opportunity to drive out there. I mean come on El, Washington is at least four hours away on a good day and it's been one thing after another going on here. I mean the last two times we meet halfway I was called back for one urgent reason or another and it's not like I can just go on leave when I have trial dates coming up," Olivia tried to explain.

"Excuses," Elliot said calling her out.

"Really now I don't think..." Olivia started.

"No listen to me. How many times has Eli driven out here?" Elliot lead.

"Four," Olivia replied guiltily.

"Right four, plus he has driven half-way just to hang out for a while. Your younger brother which you have taken to worrying about pushing himself to hard because he works two jobs, already gets my point which is you have to go out of your way to make time for what's important to you. It's not easy and it will at times go against your instinct to only focus on the job...on the vic... but you have to make it happen or you will lose it. I mean look at me I didn't make the time and now I'm stuck in this weird limbo trying to get reacquainted with my own wife," Elliot told her and Olivia was wondering if this was payback for letting him know that she thought his biggest problem with Kathy was that he was a fool.

She knew he had a point though but that was why she was so frustrated by the situation. In the past any relationship she had tried to have was doomed from the start because either they were interested in her job for the wrong reasons or couldn't except cop hours and her being married to the job. Eli though was more important than any temporary boyfriend, he was family, her little brother and she want him to stay around. Also he understood her drive and even went as far to praise her dedication when their time got interrupted. He was very understanding. Probably because his life was just as crazy at times. Still he found time to sync their scheduled and drive out to New York to cook for her and call her after a difficult day just to let her vent and make her laugh.

She needed to show him she had the same drive and desire to make their new sibling relationship flourish. Not that he seemed to mind putting the extra effort in, in fact most of the time he just seemed grateful to be allowed in her life which just made her sad at how little value he seemed to have in himself. Which just brought her to another part of her frustration of not knowing how he was living his daily life and exactly how Lightman was treating him.

"I'm going to make time. Eli is free this weekend and I'm hoping to go but that really depends on where this case is heading doesn't it? I can't control what gets dropped in our laps."

Elliot just shrugged and let it drop as he turned on the street they were head to an found a parking spot. As they were walking towards the townhouse, Melinda meet them and started filling them in on the details. Their victim was only a teenager.

"I'm running a rape kit. Found semen on the comforter. Looks like she's been dead since last night," Melinda informed Olivia and Elliot as they walked to the crime scene.

"Cause of death?" Olivia asked.

"Her tongue occluded her airway," Melinda informed them.

"So she was strangled?" Olivia concluded. 

"I'll let you know after the autopsy," Melinda stated.

"Where's the crime scene?" Elliot cut in.

"She was in an upstairs bedroom but no sign of struggle. Lividity matches the position she was found in," Melinda said as she made to break away to her van.

"Okay, well, let's go talk to the parents," Elliot said to Olivia as they started to turn towards a couple waiting to be interviewed.

"Well, good luck finding 'em," Melinda told them.

"Well, then, who are they?" Olivia asked pointing to the couple.

"The homeowners Sheila and Kevin Banks and Zoey. The chihuahua's their only child," she told them as she looked over her notes. 

Elliot reached down to unzip the body bag that was still on a stretcher outside the van, "Who's this?"

"No idea. They've never seen her before," Melinda informed them causing Olivia and Elliot to exchange a look. Olivia would not be going to visiting her brother anytime soon.

~~~~~~~

One week, Eli's new schedule lasted exactly one week. This was a few days short of what he expected because as much as Eli wanted to believe Lightman knew what he was doing in restricting his work and disrupting his lab, maybe trying to get the rest of the research/analysis staff more independent while putting Eli in his place, Eli knew better to bet that Lightman just didn't have a clue what Eli actually did on a daily basis. Sure he worked there on a more volunteer bases since Lightman striped him of his pay but that never changed the fact that Eli was in charge of running the lab and was still the most senior member of the team after Lightman and Foster. Besides, Eli was the only one in the entire office beside Gillian and Ria who could handle Lightman's abuse on a daily basis without having a nervous breakdown, running from the room crying, or quitting. Usually it was a combination of the three which was why the most senior member after him was Mark who had managed to hang on for three whole years.

During that week Eli loved the content feeling he got by being involved and actually making an impact in the kids lives who went to the youth center. Even though it was only their grades he actually found himself questioning why this was not his calling. Olivia even noticed he was happier with the change just by the tone of his voice but much to her dismay he knew he would always be bound by the search of truth and the ability to discern it. The proof of that was how much he was enjoying his lowland gorilla assignment even though it was forced on him. He would only grudgingly admit to that though if Lightman ever asked him but he knew he would always be a nerdy researcher at heart. Besides he found himself just not caring what Lightman was doing and easily just brush it off. No, after finals the place he needed to be most was Lightman's Group even when he walked into chaos that he was walking into now.

"What is going on?" Eli ask though he could venture a guess on why Sara, a recently hired grad-student was crying into Mark's arm as the rest of the staff look on wide mouthed.

"It's the Conner's case. She misread disgust for arousal. It has caused some umm... problems for our client that Foster is trying to iron it out now but Lightman has already been through here," Mark explained as he pulled away to hand the girl a tissue.

"I told him that I needed you to look over some of my findings! I'm not experienced enough to be always right on the finer expression but he told me no," oh no angry tears that was not good, "He said you looking it over wouldn't change anything! Is he blind or just that stupid?"

"Look Sara it's okay. You are still new to this and Lightman..." Eli started as he tried to think of a way to stop the inevitable.

"No Eli it's not okay. Cal Lightman is the most arrogant, egotistical....egotistical....bully I've ever known. I'm leaving and you should go with me," Sara said, no longer crying, as she stood and faced him.

"Sara..."

"No Eli I always thought it was a joke how the other researchers hide behind you and let you take the fall for any errors but after this week... it's just not right."

"I thank you for your concern but I'm here because I want to be and if you stay I know you would learn so much. I promise you what happened this morning will not happen again," Eli said a bit pleading.

"I'm sorry but I'm out of here," Sara said with finality before gathering her stuff and leaving.

Eli and Mark just watched her leave before turning to look at the staff and each other. This wasn't a new scene though it had been awhile since someone had quit and stormed out on them. Not counting Heidi and Tina who were receptionists/personal assistant to Lightman no one had quit since before Ria because Eli had made it unofficial policy that those under him should go through him in all manners concerning Lightman so that he could shield them from Lightman's bullying ways as much as possible. There really just wasn't enough qualified people out there to meet their employee turnover an unfiltered Lightman caused. 

"Well that was fun. Let's not do this again," Mark said breaking the silence, "I did what I could to proof everyone's work but I'm just not as quick and thorough as you. I don't know how you do it man but I think we would all be grateful if you started again or we are going to lose more staff not to mention my sanity."

Eli could see the agreement on everyone's faces, "Hey you know I would love to but you've seen Lightman determination not to let me do anything that is not lowland gorillas but I will discuss this with Foster."

Eli turned to leave to do just that and headed to Gillian's office. He got there just in time to see a man storm out and down the hall.

"Now if that is not proof of a satisfied customer then I don't know what is," Eli couldn't help quip as he entered her office.

"We lost the account and he is trying to back out of paying us the work we did," Gillian told him tiredly.

"Just send Reynolds to collect. A brooding FBI agent with a gun should do the trick," Gillian rewarded him with a small smile, "Sara's gone."

"I figured she would be when Lightman slithered away and deserted me to sort out this mess," she said as she started to refile folders that had gathered on her desk.

"Hurricane Lightman strikes again but seriously do you think he could at least consider the fact I'm the one who has to train all the new recruits before ripping apart the old?" Eli asked rhetorically as he sat in one of her chairs.

Gillian stopped what she was doing and studied Eli, "I know it is not fair to you but I need you to start coming in more again to charm and motivate the staff."

Eli raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Charm? Hardly, I'm just Lightman's favorite whipping boy that distracts him from terrifying the staff or was until lately."

"Lightman yelling at you instead of the staff isn't the only reason there has been a resemblance of peace when you are here. There also is a lot less mistakes made in the first place. Believe me...this week has been chaos. There has been other near misses that were caught by Ria and me but truthfully I wasn't trying to catch them all which resulted in this mess. Which is a shame because we don't even have any possible replacements for Sara at the moment. Meaning we cannot lose anyone else," Gillian told him.i

"Well I came here actually to suggest a plan that will split the difference. I'll come in more but at odd hours when Lightman is not here to review the others progress in order to lower the mistake ratio a bit. I'll even give extra training to the staff who would want to come in with me but I'm not going to waste time here when I have more important thing I could be doing elsewhere."

"Sounds reasonable and Eli hang in there k?"

"Yeah, now if you excuse me... I have some lowland Gorilla research to do. I finally got the discovery channel guys to stop hogging past research material and give me access to a good amount of tracking video feed. I actually have work Lightman will let me do today."


	8. Chapter 7: Inebriated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work is their life and life goes on.

The Making of Family: Kinship

Chapter 7: Inebriated 

Olivia walked quickly into the station as if she was trying to make up for the time she lost at the DA's. Entering the bullpen she found her partner missing and started asking around to confirm he was not current in the station before pulling out her cell phone to call him.

"Hey Liv," Elliot answered sounding a bit upset.

"Yeah hey, I just got back. Everything is squared away now but where are you?" Olivia asked. 

"Medical examiners. Melinda says the kid drank herself to death by aspirating her own vomit. No sign of sexual assault, the owners just need to change the sheets more often. There was nothing else that could help with finding an ID. She is not in the system," Elliot relayed. 

"Okay then I'm going to head back over to the Banks residence to ask a few more questions. She had to get the alcohol from somewhere," Olivia decided, not wanting to just wait around.

"Good idea," Elliot told her, "Melinda thinks someone cleaned her up which means someone was with her. I'm going to stay here and finish going over the autopsy. Call me when you're done talking to them."

"Sounds good. If they raided the liquor cabinet together maybe we'll get luck and get a print that is in the system," Olivia said though she knew nothing was ever that simple.

~~~~~~

"We don't keep a drop in the house, not even vanilla extract," Sheila Bank explained dashing any hopes of a simple answer.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic. I've been sober three years," Kevin Banks explain to back up his wife's statement.

"Who has keys to your house?" Olivia asked as she switched to the next logical direction. 

"Only Eve our dog walker. She was suppose to come twice a day while we were on vacation," Sheila explained somewhere between angry and distraught. 

Kevin shrugged, "That's what we paid her for anyways."

"and she just never showed up?"

"We found our baby locked up in the basement. Who knows how long she was down there," Sheila answered as she started petting her dog in earnest.

"Have you contacted Eve?"

Kevin answered, "I've left six messages but she hasn't called back."

"You have an address for her?"

"No we meet her in the dog park. Zoe ran right up to her, and usually, she's a much better judge of character," Sheila explained as if letting your dog decide who to trust with the keys to your house was the most natural thing in the world.

Olivia feeling slightly creeped out finished questioning the couple quickly before excusing herself and retreating to her car. Once inside she took a minute to check her messages before calling Elliot to update him and make plans for their next move.  
~~~~~~~

Luckily after Olivia and Elliot joined up they didn't have any trouble tracking Eve down at the dog park. Questioning Eve was more about endurance than finesse as they walked to keep up with her and the mass of dogs she was walking. After pressing her she finally admitted handing off the Bank's job to a high school student by the name of Rebecca Rice. Rebecca's home was only a short walk away and they found her at home in the process of tutoring a boy by the name of Jordan. Once the mother came home Rebecca quickly confessed to giving the Bank's keys to a girl name Reagan from school so she could throw a party. After Rebecca confessed Jordan directed them to the online guest list that finally allowed them to ID their victim as Melanie Temkin from Greenwich, Connecticut. 

Now that they knew who their vic was it was decided that Olivia and Elliot would drive the hour and half to inform the parents personally while Fin and Munch tracked down the party hosts and guest to interview. Dealing with the family left behind as always was hard but having to tell parents that their daughter was not as perfect as they thought and then have to follow up with the news that no one bothered to help her because they feared being caught seemed to hit Elliot especial hard. Hard enough to make Elliot ensure the father that justice would be done for something that Olivia wasn't even sure they could attach an actual crime too.

Olivia allowed the first 30 minutes of the drive back to be in silence, allowing her partner to process some of what he said before commenting, "Elliot..."

"That girl reminds me Kathleen and not just the looks. Kathleen got a DUI last year," Elliot answered the unspoken question.

"But it's not her El. Look promising the father like that... you're making it personal and..."

"Imagine if it was Eli, Liv. Wouldn't you want someone to be held accountable?"

"Eli? My brother who is starting to push 30? I hardly think I have to worry about him drinking himself to death with a bunch of rowdy self-centered teenagers," Olivia answered purposely avoiding the obvious point.

"I mean if he was still in high-school. If you knew him back then," Elliot tried again.

"My brother was mostly homeschooled and he just got his GED at 16 and went to college early. Besides the party drinking scene is for the 'popular' kids which my brother was definitely not or do you not remember the UFO thing," Olivia told him mercilessly before deciding to let up at seeing his miserable face, "look truth is I relate more to the vic and the party goers then I do to those who might worry about them but I know that girl deserves some kind of justice. What these kids did is unforgivable. I'm just not sure the law provides for it."

"That's what Casey is for. If there is something she will make those responsible pay for their lack of compassion," Elliot retorted.

"Of course she will but that doesn't change the fact you might need to step back and get your head straight. Letting this get personal will bring nothing good from it."

"Yeah well I'll let you know if it gets personal then, " Elliot shot back daring her to challenge him but she just let the rest of the ride back go by in silence. No point in reasoning with a wall anyways.

~~~~~

Eli bounced lightly on the heels of his feet as he waited in line of one of his favorite coffee shops. He had spent the early part of his morning tutoring and was now stopping in for a refueling before heading off to the Lightman group since his kids were safely on their way to class to take their finals. All of them had put a good amount of hard work in studying which made Eli proud especial his little prodigy DJ who Eli felt confident had a good chance of earning that scholarship. The line moved forward and Eli turn his attention to the pastry display until it as his turn to order.

"The usual?" The Barista named Amy greeted with a flirtatious smile. 

"Yes please and one of those too," Eli answered pointing to a pastry that Gillian would consider physically fight him for. 

"Oh I love those," Amy told him as she entered his order in the register, "the chocolate is to die for. "

"What is it with women and chocolate anyways? You would think there was an initiation right or something," Eli told her cheekily.

"Oh no you found us out. We have a club and a secret handshake and everything. I'll let you in on sacred rule one, chocolate must always be enjoyed and appreciated with every bit," Amy quipped before telling him what he owed.

After paying Eli took the pastry from the girl with a disarming smile before stepping out of the way and moving over to where they would hand him his coffee. He leaned against the table and pulled a piece off and plopped it in his mouth. He made a point to 'savory' the bit when he saw Amy give him a look over the counter as she entered the next customers order making her smile.

"You come here often?" a voice startled Eli from behind making him jump before he turned to study the man standing on the other side of the table.

" Umm... pretty regularly it's close to my apartment and on my way to my jobs...why?," Eli replied as he tried to figure out why in the world Jack Rader would be in his coffee shop.

"You seem to be in good terms with the Barista not that I blame you she'd pretty cute," Rader said making his way around to table to stand next to Eli.

"Her name is Amy and I tutor her younger sister," Eli said pointedly while Rader took advantage of a break in the flow of customers to step up and place his order.

After Rader was done he walked back to Eli holding the same pastry, "So are these any good?"

"Very, in a temptation meets angel kind of way," Eli said as he pulled another piece off.

Eli was doing his best to come off as nonchalant as possible as he made sure to take in everything about Rader. The guy was smooth, Eli would give him that, and most would probably see the guy as earnest but Eli sensed the guy was up to something. 

"Have you been here before?" Eli asked.

"No first time. I'm in town on business and dropped in for a caffeine fix," there was a lie in there but Eli wasn't sure what it was.

"How is Gillian?" Rader asked.

"She's great. You know Foster. She can handle herself... and Lightman just fine. So Rader what business brings you to town?," Eli asked.

"Jack."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Jack. The way I see it we are brothers from the same task master. Survivors of class Lightman if you will so I think we can use first names," Rader told him.

Deja vu, well hasn't he suddenly come up the ranks with people suddenly wanting to become more personal with him. Before Eli could reply his name was called and he grabbed his coffee. He fully intended to say his goodbyes and leave but Rader blocked his way and put a friendly hand on his arm.

"You never did call me about that life change we talked about the last time we meet," Rader asked pointedly.

"I guess I never decided I needed a life change," Eli told him with a shrug.

"There's still time. My offer is still open," Rader told him still blocking Eli's way.

"Thanks I guess," Eli replied unsure knowing he never seriously considered the offer.

"You know if I had known at the time Lightman wasn't paying you I would have made a harder play for you," Rader told him as he stepped back and grabbed his coffee that was just announced.

Eli didn't have any proof at the moment but there was no way he could believe Rader being here was a coincidence. Having spent, well pretty much all, his life around one master liar or another, he was pretty familiar with the tactics of con-men and well Jack Rader was no James Loker and he was most certainly no Cal Lightman. He did not appreciate being manipulated and he was almost certain that was what Rader was in the process of doing. That being said there still a likability to a guy who could completely get under Lightman skin that drew Eli and gained his respect.

"Excuse me? How can you know that?" Eli asked defensive.

"I recently hired a new employee by the name of Sara Knotts. She had a lot to say about the Lightman Group in particular you," Rader revealed.

"Yes, Sara, she did not leave very happy. How come our former employees always seem to find their way onto your payroll?" Eli asked rhetorically.

"I would like it if you would put some serious thought into my offer, Eli," Rader replied.

"Look Rader I don't know what you think you are accomplishing here but trying to poach me won't help you get back at Lightman. He would probably send you a thank you card for helping him get rid of me," Eli told him bluntly.

"Oh don't sell yourself short. Poaching you would get back in Lightman in more ways than even he would realize at first but that's not the reason I'm offering you a job," Eli just gave Rader a disbelieving stare, "Well not the main reason that is more like a very pleasant perk."

Eli shook Rader's hand off and proceeded to walk out of the coffee shop in the direction of the Lightman Group but Rader just fell in step with him. Leaving Lightman's Group in the first place wasn't really a consideration for him at the moment but the one thing Eli was certain of was if he ever left it would not be to join Rader's firm. Not matter how much of a jerk Lightman could be Eli would always feel he owed Lightman something and remain loyal. Of course that was something he would never admit too out of self preservation.

"Seriously Eli do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone to run the kind of lab needed in our line of work smoothly? Pretty much impossible. There are too many different skills sets needed, computer tech, psychology, voice analysis, not to mention the deception training. I have three different people co-managing my lab at the moment which has a whole set of unique problems. What I need is a single person to unify my lab who has both the work and people skills.This is something I have only seen pulled off in one lab. Your lab and you do it with Cal as your boss. It's a gift Eli and unlike Cal I'm willing to pay you for it. Not to mention give you the respect you deserve," Rader told him ending his speech by putting his hand on Eli's arm to make him stop walking.

"Look Rader I'm flattered really but..."Eli said turning to face him while dislodging to hand.

"Think about it, okay? That's all I'm asking. Here's my card. Just keep it and I'll let you head to work. We wouldn't want Cal seeing us together so close to office now would we?" Rader said with a annoying smirk, "See you around Eli."

Rader than with one final pat on Eli's shoulder turned and walked back in the direction they had come. Eli just stood and watched Rader retreating back for a confused moment before pocketing the card and continuing on his way.

~~~~

Once Olivia and Elliot were back at the station they went over the evidence with ADA Casey Novak to see if there was anyway to make a murder case out of what they had. Olivia had not been hopeful but Casey thought they might be able to prosecute the three teenager that had thrown the party for providing the alcohol. A long shot at best but Casey tried just to have the murder charge thrown out and the trespassing charge stand. The distress and outrage of Melanie father was heartbreaking and Olivia could see it hit Elliot hard. Without a lead that might take them to the alcohol provider there wasn't much they could do.

"I'm heading out now," Elliot told Olivia as he stood to leave.

Olivia glanced at her watch in surprised, "Got plans?"

"Going to have lunch with Kathleen," Olivia wished him luck.

Olivia spent the next 30 minutes catching up on paperwork when her cell phone vibrated. Looking at the display she was surprised to see it was her brother. Knowing she didn't even have to be at work right now she grabbed her phone and answered it on the way to the break room.

"Hey Eli is something wrong," Olivia answered knowing he would usually just text her if there was a chance she was still at work.

"Umm...not really... I mean I'm sure I'm just being paranoid and overreacting but the FBI would eventually notice if an agent went missing right?" Eli asked.

"Why?" Olivia asked curious.

"Well today has just been really strange. Are you sure you can talk? I mean you are at work right?" Eli asked unsure.

"I'm at work but I can talk. So go ahead and tell me the what's bothering you," Olivia said as she started pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Well Lightman, Foster, Ria, and Reynold haven't bothered to show up today and they are not answering their cells. I mean I know they probably are just off doing something without me but they are being extra irresponsible today if that's the case and it just seems a bit strange," Eli explained.

"Like what?"

"Well I got in late today due to a very odd encounter I had this morning...." Eli started.

"What encounter?" Olivia interrupted going interrogation mode.

"Well when I stopped for coffee on my way here I ran into Jack Rader. He use to be Lightman's prodigy but he left shortly before I started working for Lightman. He offered me a job," Eli explained.

"Really a job? So he works as a deception expert as well?" Olivia asked liking the idea of a different job.

"Yeah but I have no real interest in working for him. He is only interested in what fame and money he can get and besides he only offered it to try to manipulate me into helping him get at Lightman. He has a way of poaching our former employees," Eli said dismissively.

"Okay so you were late," Olivia directed letting the job drop for now.

"Yeah and I was fully expecting Lightman to be there waiting to chew me out but instead I found that the four of them hadn't even shown up and the rest of the employees weren't sure what they were suppose to be doing," Eli continued.

"That doesn't happen often?"

"It never happens. Lightman is a total control freak so usually he or Gillian are here to direct people and if they are both out they always leave direction for the staff. I mean last time Lightman went on vacation he spent a lot of time watching us on his laptop using the security feed which was just creepy by the way. If this had happened pretty much any other time we would just work but we don't have a case at the moment so without word from them the others don't have much to do. I on the other hand have my research projects. I just sent the other out for a late lunch while I stay here to answer the phone. If they are going to get paid for nothing might as well build some team moral. I'm hoping to hear from them soon but I would be lying if I said it wasn't worrying. Bad things happen all the time," Eli told her.

"I wouldn't worry until the end of the day. If you don't hear from them by then i see no reason not to check with family," Olivia said.

"Thanks I know I'm overreacting but if I don't hear from them I think I'll call and check with Emily," Eli told her.

"Yeah let me know what happens," Olivia said before hanging up.

~~~~~

Olivia had completed most of her paperwork by the time her partner came strolling in with his second born daughter not far behind. Elliot nodded at the team before leading his daughter over to their display screens and after a long discussion Kathleen finally said her goodbyes. After seeing his daughter out Elliot asked Cragen to come so Elliot could show Cragen and Olivia what he and his daughter found about Reagan and her friends violating the order from the judge to abstain from alcohol.

"I know it's not proof of where they are getting the booze but we aren't going to just let them blatantly disregard the judge right?" Elliot asked.

"No we're not. These kids need to learn that there are consequences for their actions. Olivia you go show this to Casey and get an arrest warrant. Elliot you go track down where these kids are parting. I want them caught in the act," Cragen told them, dismissing them.

Olivia got the warrant and Elliot was able to get a location out of Rebecca Rice where they meet at. Olivia may have been busting Elliot over being too emotionally involved and she still believed he was but she fully agreed these kids could use a dose of humility and a good wake up call on reality. They knocked and were called in by the kids inside. As they entered it was obvious they had found the right place as they were greeted with the sight of the boys encouraging Reagan to chug a bottle of tequila. 

Elliot walked over and grabbed the bottle from her hand, "Cheap Tequila."

"What's the matter, Reagan? You drink the worm?" Olivia asked mockingly. 

"What are you doing here?" Reagan asked panicky.

"Hey, Jordan, you brought the candy, huh?" Elliot asked quoting the line he say on the web page of the boy who pointed them to Reagan's online party list.

"Look at this. Foosball, big screen TV, dart boards, you got yourself a regular frat house here," Olivia listed dispassionately, "Guess what, you're busted. Let's go."

"No, No, wait, wait. Um, you don't understand, we're celebrating. I got into Princeton, early decision," Mark tried to argue as if that made all the difference.

Before Olivia could respond to the dense statement Elliot called to her, "Detective? Check this out."

"Hey, that's my inhaler. I got asthma, man," Luke said freaking out as he lunged in an attempt to gab it. 

"Do you really?" Elliot said rhetorically as he lifted up to his nose smell it, "Smells like an alcohol vaporizer to me. Isn't that the latest and greatest in a quick high?"

Olivia jumped in, "It's illegal in 17 states including New York. You guys are breaking the law all over the place." 

"I know the judge said we shouldn't drink, but you don't get into the ivy league every day," Mark continued stunned that his reasoning wasn't getting them a free pass.

"Well guess what, you're underage, and the law doesn't make exceptions for special occasions," Olivia told him bluntly as she pushed him towards the door.

"I was being responsible," Jordan jumped in trying to explain his actions

Olivia paused, "Yeah, for what, getting your friends loaded?"

"No, I haven't had a drink. I was going to make sure everyone got home safe," Jordan replied.

"Safe? Last time you threw a party, a girl died," Elliot said turning his attention to Reagan.

"Come on, we'd do anything to change what happened but we can't. Please don't ruin our lives too," Reagan pleaded proving just how out of touch these kids were.

"Save it for the judge," Elliot responded as he and Olivia escorted the four of them to their cars


	9. Chapter 8: Misplaced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Radical honesty did start as a way to rebel against my lying no good father," Eli gave her.
> 
> "The instinct of a natural is there but for some reason, that I've never really gotten, you won't let yourself listen to it.”

The Making of Family: Kinship

 

Chapter 8: Misplaced

 

Tagline: "Radical honesty did start as a way to rebel against my lying no good father," Eli gave her.

"The instinct of a natural is there but for some reason, that I've never really gotten, you won't let yourself listen to it.” 

 

 

"No...no... I'm sorry... I'll give him the message as soon as he comes in.... Yes I know FBI cases are suppose to be a priority... You would have to ask agent Reynolds about that... I don't have any say sir I just work here.... Yes... uh huh... bye," Eli let out a loud sigh as he hung up the phone and greeted his coworker who were returning from their long lunch.

 

"Thanks for watching the phones, Eli," Anna said as she walked around the desk to reclaim her chair.

 

"No problem. Did you guys enjoy your lunch? Eli asked as he grabbed his laptop off her desk.

 

"We sure did. Hey did you know Katie is dating a lawyer named Larry? You would think she would be better at catching manipulation," Mark told him as he ducked away from Katie's playful punch.

 

"Ignore him. We brought you back some food," Katie said as she handed him a takeout container all the while casting a glare at Mark.

 

"Awesome, a lawyer huh? I knew there was someone new but on to business. The FBI has sent over some footage that we might as well start combing through before we call it quIts today. I want to break it down as much as possible before the big cheeses decided to grace us lowly minions with their presence again," Eli said while directing everyone but Anna back to the lab. Within ten minutes the lab was running smoothly without any sign of the directionless it had that morning.

 

It wasn't until it started to get dark and Eli had already released the other employees that Gillian and Ria made an appearance. Reynolds came in shortly after. He had already put a call into Emily once she was home from school to be informed that Ria had shown up at their door late last night upset about her sister. Emily didn't know much but it was enough to figure out that the rest of the team was working on something big and hadn't even bothered to tell him which well hurt, not that he would ever say as much. 

 

"I mean all day not one of you thought to say, hey, let's just call Eli and tell why nobody's in the office," Eli vented as soon as Gillian finished giving him a bit of a run down on that day's events.

 

"Loker, a girl was murdered," Gillian said as if that excused all that he was feeling on the subject. 

 

Eli wasn't deterred from expressing his current thought, "Well, that's exactly my point. It's a scary world. Bad things happen."

 

"I-I worry," Eli faltered as he tried to control his emotion before directing his attention a Ria, "And apparently you have a sister."

 

"Half sister," she said as if trying to justify her never mentioning her sister before. 

 

Deciding not to cause anymore grief because he knew his feeling weren't helpful at the moment Eli jumped into work mode, "All right, so, if, um, this Maurice kid with the proclivity towards violence was framed, then who killed this pregnant girl?"

 

"The youth center psychologist is a maybe. Uh, there was, there was definitely something between him and Marly on those tapes," Ria said trying to switch to work mode as well.

 

"Alright, well, I'll call the deputy warden, see if I can sweet-talk her into giving you more access," Reynolds said stepping in.

 

"Why don't you not," Lightman said out of nowhere as he came in with a teenage dressed in orange.

 

"Oh, look, is this little Torres?" Eli asked excited as there was no missing the family resemblance. 

 

The girl just walked through the room and sat across from her sister not looking happy at all at being there. Lightman stopped long enough in front of Eli to give him a look that told him he was not welcome in the discussion. Eli did nothing to mask the hurt he was feeling as he looked back at Lightman.

 

"You know, I just remembered, I got some work to do downtown. And I'm going to pretend I never even saw her. You call me if you need me," Reynolds said before retreating to get away from the evidence of a jail break, breaking Eli and Lightman's stare down.

 

"I've got some research to do," Eli said to no one before following Reynolds out.

 

"You could be charged with aiding and abetting. Or kidnapping," Eli heard Gillian say as he left his lab.

 

Logically Eli knew it was better not to get involved in Lightman illegal stunt but Ria was his friend and he wanted to help her if he could but his help and concern was obviously not needed or wanted. Eli stood in the hall for a minute in indecision before heading to the door. They wanted to take over his lab and kick him out after he waited the entire day for them that was just fine. He would just go home and get some much needed sleep. It wasn't like anyone would notice if he was there or not anyways.

 

~~~~~~

Personally, Olivia had a very good reason why she did not like it when Elliot became to personally involved in a case which was her partner liked to go off doing stuff on his own without telling her, leaving her with both their share of paperwork. Then he had the nerve to call her to meet him places without a word of explanation or apology. 

 

This lead her to the Rice's home to re-arrest Jordan who had been let out by a Judy Donnelly who thanks to web postings was reevaluating her decision on lenience. It was once they were let inside by Rebecca that they found Jordan sleeping with Rebecca's mom. This really should have shocked her more but the fact was Olivia knew there was something really off in a desperate kind of way after observing how she acted towards her partner the first time they were there. Unfortunately there was no provable crime they could charge the woman and it was Rebecca who was suffering the most. 

 

Through the courts Jordan, Reagan, Luke, and Mark went a second time and they finally got Jordan to admit it was Lillian, Becca's mom, who supplied the alcohol that lead to Melanie's death. This victory as forced as it was, was short lived as Olivia got a call late that night to an accident scene. Jordan had killed himself and Reagan by driving drunk. The streets seemed extra dark on the drive back home. She spent the rest of the night tossing and turning before giving up and getting up to shower. Looking at the clock it was still pretty early but she picked up her phone anyways. Eli only had texted the following night which Olivia was coming to realize was his way of avoiding lying and truth when he was upset about something. 

 

"Hello," Eli answered by the fifth ring.

 

"Did I wake you?" Olivia asked though from the background noises she was hearing she knew that was not the case.

 

"No actually I'm already at the Lightman group. Is everything okay?" Eli asked as he started what sounded like a coffee pot.

 

At the Lightman group at 6 in the morning? "No it silly really I just needed to hear your voice."

 

"Rough case?"

 

"Something like that. It is just making me think how much of your life I missed out on. So tell me did you do a lot of underage drinking? I mean you did start college rather young," Olivia asked thinking about what Elliot had asked her.

 

"No I didn't and just to be clear it is because there was never any fun involved in it for me. I ticked way to many people off to be that vulnerable like ever. I did try to join a fraternity my first year and let's just say after the first round of hazing I learned it was better to keep my wits about me at all times. Even now I only drink as part of appropriated adult bonding rituals," Eli explained.

 

Olivia let out a small laugh, "You make it sound like animal documentary but thanks for letting me know."

 

"I would love to chat more but the truth is I'm kinda in the middle of something," Eli told her.

 

"Okay then I will let you get back too it and you can tell me about it later," Olivia promised.

 

~~~~~~

 

The Lightman Group was dark and deserted with the exception of the lab that Eli occupied even though it was 5:30 in the morning. He had spent the last hour reviewing his team's work on the video's the FBI had sent over of a man leading up to him murdering his ex-wife in a government building. He was so immersed in writing down correction notes that he didn't even sense someone was in the room until Gillian spoke from directly behind him. 

 

"Corrections? Huh, so you still make them find it themselves instead of just correcting it," Eli jump in surprise but tried to cover it by staring intently at the screen ahead of him.

 

"Yeah well I want them to learn and improve you know. Just telling them they're wrong and then handing them the answer won't accomplish that. Though I do make my own version with the corrections as backup in case they don't finish in time," Eli told her as he finally turned to look up at her.

 

"Gillian your face!" Eli exclaimed not even trying to cover his concern as he stood to closer inspect the purple bruise that was forming on her right cheek.

 

Gillian held up her hands to wave him off tiredly and defeated, "Can we not?"

 

At her quiet reply Eli paused and took all of Gillian in. Her purple shirt and black skirt had a way of minimizing yet complementing the damage and overall she looked, well, fragile. Every protective instinct in his body was going off telling him to hunt down who did this and make them feel pain but the logical side of him knew Lightman would more than handle that. No, what Gillian needed was a distraction. Why else would she be at Lightman Group this time of morning?

 

Lucky for her Eli was great at distractions. Growing up, it was something he had helped his mother with more times than he could count. Late at night when he would catch his mother in the kitchen unable to sleep they would talk about anything other than the obvious until she could pull herself together.

 

"Well I try to anyways," Eli said as if his outburst hadn't happened, "but I don't think I should quit my day job to become a teacher. I had a hard enough time teaching them when I could do this over their shoulders so I don't have much hope that what I'm doing now will improve their skills but at least it will stop mistakes from getting through."

 

"You do an exceptional job at guiding them," Gillian told him gratefully as she gingerly sat down unable to hide a flinch.

 

Eli gave her a look but didn't comment, "I doubt that. I've been working with some of them for a few years now and only Mark can be trusted to work unsupervised without any mistakes but his work still doesn't have the speed I would like to see. Plus there are still a few areas he needs to get acquainted with to have full knowledge of running the lab."

 

"Like you?" Foster asked slipping into psychologist mode.

 

Eli wasn't sure if he wanted to go this route but knowing it would make Gillian feel better decided to comply with his radical honesty, "Sure...um...yeah I guess. I mean I am the unpaid intern after all but I never get to slack off. I mean they are the ones getting paid with the fancy master degrees and perfect resumes they shouldn't need a lowly unpaid intern covering for them."

 

"Do you want to slack off?" Gillian asked.

 

"Well no but that really isn't the point," Eli said sounding a bit silly to himself.

 

"I think they each do extraordinarily well in their expert areas. Do you really think it's fair to compare their abilities to yourself considering you are a natural?" Gillian asked earning a snort from Eli.

 

"Uh I learned the science remember? That's why I help develop so much of our analysis equipment."

 

"You're thinking of Ria? You might not be a natural in the same sense of the word she is but that doesn't mean you're not gifted as well. You just have a different skill set that you use to read people," Gillian said but decided to change her approach at the look of skepticism, "Take Ria and her sister Eva. The way they were raised made them both naturals at reading people's emotions as a survival mechanism but while Ria turned that into the ability to detect the truth without any outside training Eva used it to perfect lying and the ability to manipulate people."

 

"You make Eva sound like Lightman," Eli commented.

 

"I don't think that is too far off. From what I know of Cal's childhood I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same but I think it is that ability that to manipulate people that gave him the insight to break down the micro-expressions and create the science. If Eva studied and learned the science she could probably be just as good," Gillian said.

 

"Now that's a scary thought, a mini-Lightman but what about you? What is your gift then? Because we both know you are just as good if not at times better then both Lightman and Ria and while you can pull off a big con if necessary you are no means a natural manipulator, " Eli asked, curious on how she would describe herself.

 

"Well I don't think it should surprise that it would be connected to why I became a psychologist in the first place. I have always been able to spot the lies people tell themselves and since I was a child I've always wanted to help people with those lies without being seen as busybody so psychologist. Inner lies also happens to be something Cal is mostly blind too. It's why we make such a good team," Gillian told him before adjusting to respectfully lean into Eli's personal space, "Now your gift is the science."

 

"You mean I'm learning the science," Eli supplied. 

 

"No I don't. I never had the privilege of knowing you before you had training and from what I understand neither has Lightman considering you were self teaching yourself about deception even before you knew about micro-expressions. Despite that and from the fact the only spontaneous comments about your family has always been negative, I would bet that you had some level of natural talent to start with and that is where things like radical honest came from and your search of understanding the nature of truth," Gillian explained.

 

"Radical honesty did start as a way to rebel against my lying no good father," Eli gave her.

 

"The instinct of a natural is there but for some reason, that I've never really gotten, you won't let yourself listen to it. You like to rely on the tech but unlike the others, let's say Mark who excels in facial recognition or Katie with voice analysis because of the instinct you are able to see every part without losing the big picture. You work with the tech like it is an extension of your natural abilities rather than a tool to compensate for a lack of ability. That is why you can run the lab so effortlessly and have been so hard pressed to train a qualified replacement. Guess I should just be glad you haven't been contemplating other job offers," Gillian told him making him give off a little snort.

 

"What? What was that?" Gillian asked reading his face.

 

"Well funny thing is I just got offered a job yesterday," He told her.

 

"What! By who?" Gillian asked a bit alarmed.

 

"Jack Rader," Now Gillian just looked perturbed, "Don't worry I would never seriously consider taking it but that doesn't mean I might not rub it in Lightman' face if he annoys me."

 

"Why wouldn't you consider taking it? As much as I would hate to see you leave I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that you would probably be better off," Gillian told him thoughtfully.

 

"Better off? Not a chance. At least in a way that matters most to me. I mean sure I would get paid but for what exactly? My skill? I highly doubt that. Rader would be paying me for betraying Lightman and you can call it ego or pride or just plain old masochism but back when everyone else bailed I promised myself that I would never become a person who would do something like that. Bite the hand that feeds in a manner of speaking even if that hand is of a taskmaster like Lightman. Beside Rader is like dealing with a Lightman with no morals in a con man suit and believe me I see every ounce of humor in that," Eli told her earnestly but shifted uncomfortable as he thought over what was just said. 

 

“but speaking of Eva..." Eli deflected, done with the topic and needing answers.

 

Gillian sighed and was about to speak when Eli's cell phone went off. Eli looked over to see it was his sister. Alarmed Eli stood and grabbed the phone. 

 

"Hold that thought. I need to take this. Stay here and I'll make us some coffee," Eli received a nod as he headed out of the door and answered the call.

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Gillian let out a defeated sigh. She knew it was unfair to use Eli as a distraction when he was so obviously worried about her but he at first he played along just fine. Even though the line of conversation she was bent on pursuing obviously made him skeptical. The truth was that even though she had been making the effort to get to know him better she felt she had barely scratched the surface. It was too easy, like now, to make him unconsciously shut down and show just how long he had been repressing what was underneath. It was to easy to take his radical honesty at face value and forget to dig deeper. Maybe that was the problem, she was heading towards areas she should have sought out years ago. Maybe that was why with all her training in micro-expressions all she could see was pain and sadness underneath his smile. 

 

It wasn't long until Eli returned with the promised coffee, "Sorry about that. So what were you going to say?"

 

"A group of... people broke into my home, three boys and a girl. They had to be from Covington. They broke in and attacked Eva and me," Gillian told him deciding to stop avoiding the topic.

 

"How badly are you hurt? Was Eva hurt?" Eli asked examining her face again.

 

"We're fine," Eli gave her a look, "A little banged up but it's nothing really just a bruised face and some sore ribs. I'll be fine in a day or two.

 

"I'd ask what the police had to say but we both know that would be silly considering Lightman aided in Eva's escape. It can't be a coincidence that you brought Eva home with you and your house gets broken into with you home," Eli told her.

 

"No you're right. They were after this jeweled egg Eva had on her. I have Reynolds tracking it down," Gillian told him as she stood and motioned for Eli to follow.

 

"Why not just ask Eva?" Eli asked as in fell in step with her to exit the lab.

 

"She ran away shortly after Cal and Torres showed up. They are looking for her now," Gillian explained.

 

"Right so now we think Eva's evil," Eli interjected half-serious as they rounded the corner to the front entrance way.

 

"No, no, Loker. She's just a confused and scared girl. Overwhelmed and," Gillian sighs, "I don't know what I think."

 

"We got company," Eli said drawing Gillian attention to a rough looking young man.

 

 

~~~~~¬¬¬

 

The man's name was Dax and he worked for the deputy warden of Covington. He quickly dropped off a box of group therapy tapes before making a skittish and hasty retreat. Gillian then directed Eli back to the lab so she could try to identify her attackers. Not for the first time Eli marveled at how effortlessly and graceful Gillian merged her instincts with her science. Rader was not kidding when he had said long ago that Gillian might be better at this then Lightman.

 

From the tapes they were able to find the girl who was apart of the group who attacked Gillian. Around the same time Lightman was able locate and bring in Eva and her friend Tyrel. From them they were able to determine that the deputy warden was the head of a theft ring using the kids of Covington. The problem was proving the deputy wardens involvement since all evidence pointed to Dax as the ringleader and mastermind.

 

"Dax's word is not enough without cooperation. The only way to help these kids is to get a confession," Gillian exclaimed in frustration over how well the blond deputy warden covered her tracks."

 

"That's easier said than done love. You've spoken to the woman. She's a pretty good liar to start with without adding the massive god complex. My normal charm will not be enough to shake her," Lightman told her obviously contemplating what abnormal method he wanted to use.

 

"To bad the kids are criminals," Eli said thinking out loud.

 

"Why do you say that?" Reynolds asked.

 

"Because feeling justified in yourself is a lot easier when you don't have to confront the eyes of those who should be able to trust you. Especially when you are in the middle of lying," Eli spoke from experience.

 

Lightman just stopped and started waving a finger in Eli's direction, "I have a call to make."

 

"We could do her interview at the detention center," Reynolds tried offering not liking the look Lightman had on.

 

"No she can't be on her own turf. That would diminish the effectiveness," Lightman said before turning and head out the door.

 

"Wait Cal! What are you thinking? If you do anything else illegal today I swear I will turn you in myself. Cal!" Gillian called after him but didn't bother trying to follow.

 

~~~¬~~~~~~~

 

It shouldn't be surprising that Lightman actually managed to get all the kids under the deputy wardens care legally transported to the Lightman Group to be used to bring her down. It was good for the kids and Eli was proud to be apart of it. A bonus of the adventure was Lightman seemed to be ready to back off and let Eli work but only tomorrow would tell. That's why Eli was taking his time to clean up the lab after today's activities when Ria stormed in.

 

Eli looked up startled and wary of the obviously irate Latino girl,"Who does he think he is? How dare he act like he knows more about my life then I do. So what if I want to take my sister in to keep a promise I made to her. She's my sister!"

 

"What did Lightman do now?" Eli asked knowing there was only one person she could be venting about. 

 

"He is sending my sister to a school in Richmond," Ria explained.

 

"Virginia? Oh so she got in already. I knew Gillian had pull but that sure was fast. There is a waiting list like a mile long," Eli interjected.

 

"You knew about this?" Ria asked slightly betrayed.

 

"Well Gillian asked for a recommendation from me since I am acquainted with the school and it's principle. I've even been out there a couple of times for kids from the youth center who have gotten themselves in trouble. Hey I can drive you guys out there if you like and introduce you to some of the people I know," Eli explained.

 

Ria sat down defeated, "It's really that good?"

 

"Oh yeah and I think Eva would make a good fit. It would be good for her. I know because I personally know a few success stories. Doesn't mean you'll stop being her sister," Eli assured.

 

"You serious about that ride even though I never told you I had a sister?" Ria asked.

 

"Of course. It's not like I asked and you lied about it right?" Eli shrugged the question off.

 

"No," Ria answered thoughtful, "Why is that? I mean we're friends, right? Yet you never ask me anything about my family. Isn't that strange?"

 

"I don't ask because we are friends. Don't get me wrong I would love to know more about you. Actually all about you but if I asked would you have told me the truth? I mean you are a natural and all natural share one trait in common which is something you have made clear you have no desire to discuss. So would you have told me the truth?" Eli probed.

 

"No," Ria answered simply.

 

"And what is the one thing I can't stand above all other?" Eli questioned.

 

"Lies and half-truths," Ria answered starting to understand.

 

"I'm not saying you might not need help dealing with your family issues and so we are clear I will always be here to help but what good is pressing a person who is not ready to talk about it yet? So why would I ask you about something that I know you would lie about? Because if you lied I would be mad and what kind of a friend purposely does something like that?," Eli told her as he lend in close enough to smell her body spray before sitting back, "Besides I'm fairly confident that when you are ready you will tell me." 

 

"That makes sense... I guess...I would never had thought about it that way but thank you," Ria said softly.

 

"So go talk to your sister about the school and if you guys decide on it just let me know and I'll drive you both there."

 


End file.
